A Clark County District Judge has ruled against Planned Parenthood after it tried to block a 40-year-old state law requiring parents or guardians to be notified of underage abortions.
The requirement had never before been enforced in Nevada because of a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that found it was unconstitutional based on Roe v. Wade. But after the Supreme Court reversed the decision in 2022, a group of district attorneys, mostly in rural Nevada and Nevada Right to Life sued to restore the 1985 law.
Planned Parenthood argues that the decades-old law is “unconstitutionally vague” and that it violates minors’ rights to due process and equal protection.
“Planned Parenthood has tried every legal trick to cut parents out of their children’s lives and they keep losing,” said Krystal Minera-Alvis, Communications Director for Nevada Right to Life. “Parents must be involved in ALL medical decisions, including those as life altering and emotionally taxing as abortion. This ruling is common sense and it is a victory for Nevada families.”
Nevada's law also allows a minor to get a court order authorizing an abortion without first notifying parents or guardians.
We've reached out to Planned Parenthood Mar Monte for a comment. Even though they are located in California, they have locations in Nevada, including one in Reno.
JULY 23, 2025:
A 40-year-old Nevada law requiring parents or guardians to be notified of underage abortions will now go into effect for the first time.
A federal district judge lifted the temporary stay on Tuesday after Planned Parenthood Mar Monte requested to dismiss the case.
The requirement had never before been enforced in Nevada because of a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that found it was unconstitutional based on Roe v. Wade. But after the Supreme Court reversed the decision in 2022, a group of district attorneys, mostly in rural Nevada sued to restore the 1985 law.
“This is a landmark moment for parents and children across Nevada,” said Melissa Clement, Executive Director of Nevada Right to Life. “We refused to give up. We carried this fight alone for decades, and now parents will have a voice in decisions affecting their children’s lives.”
Planned Parenthood argued that the 1985 law, despite the reversal of Roe, remained “unconstitutionally vague” and that it violated minors’ rights to due process and equal protection.
In a statement, they told us in part, "This law is an assault on the ability of people to control their own bodies, lives, and futures. Now, because two local prosecutors asked a court to lift the forty-year-old order blocking the law, it is in force in Nevada."
Although Planned Parenthood Mar Monte is based in California, it does have locations in Nevada.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A federal judge has ruled that a Nevada law requiring parents or guardians to be notified of underage abortions will not start on April 30 after all - pending an appeal to the 9th Circuit.
U.S. District Court Judge Anne Traum had said in a written decision that the 40-year-old law could take effect on April 30, but the judge also left open the possibility for abortion rights advocates to seek a court order blocking its reinstatement while they challenge the law’s constitutionality.
The requirement had never before been enforced in Nevada because of a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that found it was unconstitutional based on Roe v. Wade. But after the Supreme Court reversed the landmark decision in 2022, stripping away constitutional protections for abortion, a group of district attorneys mostly in rural Nevada sued to restore the 1985 law.
Planned Parenthood argued that the 1985 law, despite the reversal of Roe, remains “unconstitutionally vague” and that it violates minors’ rights to due process and equal protection.
But Traum, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, said in her original decision that “whether the statute is unconstitutional for another reason has not been fully litigated nor is that question before the Court in this motion.”
Abortions in Nevada are legal until 24 weeks, with exceptions to save a mother’s life or to protect her health. In November, a ballot question to enshrine Nevada’s abortion rights in the state constitution received its first nod of approval from voters, who must also approve the measure in 2026 in order to amend the constitution.
Parental involvement in a minor’s decision to have an abortion is required in 36 states, according to KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues. Some states require only parental notification, as is the case with Nevada’s law, while other states also require consent.
Nevada’s law also allows a minor to get a court order authorizing an abortion without first notifying parents or guardians.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
