Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth - Impact

Although several elements of Danforth had the potential for enormous impact on abortion law, by far the most significant were those parts dealing with consent in one form or another. Five years later, in H. L. v. Matheson (1981), the Court sustained a requirement for parental consent, and continued to uphold similar laws in other cases. In the area of written consent by the woman herself, the state of Ohio sought to expand on the authority conceded to Missouri in Danforth, and established requirements challenged in Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health (1983). By a vote of 6-3, the Court voted to strike down these more stringent requirements, which it held were designed to dissuade the pregnant woman from having an abortion. In 1986, it also invalidated a less broad Pennsylvania law which required a doctor to counsel a pregnant woman on the risks inherent in an abortion, and to inform her of the options available if she chose to carry the child to term.