| Revision as of 20:13, 28 May 2014 editBadmintonhist (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers6,485 edits →Background: If we conclude that the abortion may either have been self-induced or performed by someone else, then saying that she was "on her way to undergo an illegal abortion" is somewhat misleading. We don't really know the "what" or the "when."← Previous edit | Revision as of 20:29, 28 May 2014 edit undoBadmintonhist (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers6,485 edits →Parental consent laws: Saying that Wilkie "argued that . . " doesn't let the reader know that this had already been established in the 60 Minute report. Wilkie was noting what 60 Minutes had already told its audience.Next edit → | ||
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| Following Bell's death, her parents, Bill and Karen Bell, have campaigned against parental consent laws, which they blame for their daughter's death.<ref>{{cite news|title=Parental Consent to Abortion: How Enforcement Can Vary|first=Tamar|last=Lewin|work=New York Times|date=May 28, 1992|url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA174853212&v=2.1&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=72a9344ac91c378c507a78a8bb571471}}{{paywall}}</ref> The Bells worked with the ], which credited them with helping to turn public opinion against a parental-notification law in Oregon.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news | last = Lewin | first = Tamar | date = October 27, 1991 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/27/us/in-debate-on-abortion-2-girls-make-it-real.html | title = In Debate on Abortion, 2 Girls Make It Real | work = ]|page=1}}</ref> The Bells worked against proposed parental notification laws in Colorado in 1998.<ref name=foes/> In 2006 they testified before the ] in opposition to a pending parental consent law.<ref>{{cite journal|title=When parental involvement laws go wrong |authorlink=Kate Michelman|last=Michelman|first=Kate|journal=]|date=May–June 2006|volume=66|number=3|url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA147057299&v=2.1&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=727ca1dfb5326b93c783ea20bd4725cc}}{{paywall}}</ref> | Following Bell's death, her parents, Bill and Karen Bell, have campaigned against parental consent laws, which they blame for their daughter's death.<ref>{{cite news|title=Parental Consent to Abortion: How Enforcement Can Vary|first=Tamar|last=Lewin|work=New York Times|date=May 28, 1992|url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA174853212&v=2.1&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=72a9344ac91c378c507a78a8bb571471}}{{paywall}}</ref> The Bells worked with the ], which credited them with helping to turn public opinion against a parental-notification law in Oregon.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news | last = Lewin | first = Tamar | date = October 27, 1991 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/27/us/in-debate-on-abortion-2-girls-make-it-real.html | title = In Debate on Abortion, 2 Girls Make It Real | work = ]|page=1}}</ref> The Bells worked against proposed parental notification laws in Colorado in 1998.<ref name=foes/> In 2006 they testified before the ] in opposition to a pending parental consent law.<ref>{{cite journal|title=When parental involvement laws go wrong |authorlink=Kate Michelman|last=Michelman|first=Kate|journal=]|date=May–June 2006|volume=66|number=3|url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA147057299&v=2.1&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=727ca1dfb5326b93c783ea20bd4725cc}}{{paywall}}</ref> | ||
| In response, according to '']'', the anti-abortion movement attacked "the Bells' motives and the character of their dead daughter".<ref name="60-min"/> ], a retired physician and anti-abortion advocate, |
In response, according to '']'', the anti-abortion movement attacked "the Bells' motives and the character of their dead daughter".<ref name="60-min"/> ], a retired physician and anti-abortion advocate, noted that Bell was "dating a high-school drop-out" and "got into the drug scene" before her death.<ref name="60-min"/> Willke claimed that Bell had a "normal miscarriage" rather than an induced abortion, a claim which was dismissed by the forensic pathologist who conducted Bell's autopsy.<ref name="60-min"/> | ||
| ==''Lifestories: Families in Crisis'' episode== | ==''Lifestories: Families in Crisis'' episode== | ||
Revision as of 20:29, 28 May 2014
Rebecca "Becky" Suzanne Bell (August 24, 1971 – September 16, 1988) was an American teenage girl who died of complications from an unsafe abortion. Indiana state parental-consent laws prevented Bell from obtaining a legal abortion without her parents' consent. Afraid to ask her parents' permission, Bell either obtained an illegal abortion or induced one herself and died of complications from the procedure. Following Bell's death, her parents became advocates for the repeal of parental-consent laws.
Background
Bell discovered she was pregnant in 1988. She went to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Indiana seeking an abortion, but was told that state law required consent from her parents for the procedure. She had the option of going before a judge to argue for a waiver of parental consent, but reportedly feared that her parents would find out.
On a Saturday night in September 1988 Bell left her house, telling her parents that she was going to a party. She came home ill, disheveled, and in tears. Her illness worsened over the next few days but she would not seek medical attention. Her parents ultimately forced her to go to a hospital, where she died on September 16, 1988. Her autopsy found that she had died of septic abortion complicated by pneumonia. These conditions were likely caused by the use of unsterile instruments during the procedure. After Bell's death, her parents found among Bell's possessions contact information for abortion clinics in nearby Kentucky, which did not have parental consent laws, but there was no record of her visiting a Kentucky clinic; it is unclear where Bell obtained her abortion, or whether she induced the abortion herself.
Parental consent laws
Following Bell's death, her parents, Bill and Karen Bell, have campaigned against parental consent laws, which they blame for their daughter's death. The Bells worked with the Feminist Majority Foundation, which credited them with helping to turn public opinion against a parental-notification law in Oregon. The Bells worked against proposed parental notification laws in Colorado in 1998. In 2006 they testified before the Michigan House of Representatives in opposition to a pending parental consent law.
In response, according to 60 Minutes, the anti-abortion movement attacked "the Bells' motives and the character of their dead daughter". John C. Willke, a retired physician and anti-abortion advocate, noted that Bell was "dating a high-school drop-out" and "got into the drug scene" before her death. Willke claimed that Bell had a "normal miscarriage" rather than an induced abortion, a claim which was dismissed by the forensic pathologist who conducted Bell's autopsy.
Lifestories: Families in Crisis episode
On August 15, 1992, HBO aired an episode of Lifestories: Families in Crisis based on Bell's death, which was entitled "Public Law 106: The Becky Bell Story". Dina Spybey portrayed Becky Bell, Debra Monk portrayed Karen Bell and Craig Wasson portrayed Bill Bell.
See also
References
- ^ "Becky's Story". 60 Minutes. CBS News. February 24, 1991.
- ^ Dettmer, Jamie (May 5, 1992). "Abortion's combat zone; Parents". The Times. London.(subscription required)
- ^ Abbot, Karen (October 29, 1998). "Foes of Notification Enlist Grim, Dirty Images". Rocky Mountain News. Denver. p. 11A.
- Brotman, Barbara (April 8, 1990). "Abortion Law Blamed In Death". Chicago Tribune.
- Lewin, Tamar (May 28, 1992). "Parental Consent to Abortion: How Enforcement Can Vary". New York Times.(subscription required)
- Lewin, Tamar (October 27, 1991). "In Debate on Abortion, 2 Girls Make It Real". The New York Times. p. 1.
- Michelman, Kate (May–June 2006). "When parental involvement laws go wrong". The Humanist. 66 (3).(subscription required)
- "Lifestories: Families in Crisis Public Law 106: The Becky Bell Story." IMDb.com. Retrieved January 22, 2007.
External links
- National Abortion Federation: Patient Stories: Parental Involvement (Pro-choice)
- IMDb: Lifestories: Families in Crisis (Becky Bell episode)
- Becky Bell at Find a Grave