Family Cases
Family Cases

Obtaining Permission to Terminate a Pregnancy for Women Under Age 18

These standard instructions are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice about your case. If you choose to represent yourself, you are bound by the same rules and procedures as an attorney.

Forms for Obtaining Permission to Terminate a Pregnancy for Women Under Age 18

Colorado Judicial Branch has compiled all forms required for Obtaining Permission to Terminate a Pregnancy for Women Under Age 18.

View Forms

Criteria for Obtaining Permission to Terminate a Pregnancy for Women Under Age 18

If you are under 18 years old and you want to get an abortion, the doctor must tell your parents unless one of the following is true:

  1. A court has said that you are emancipated (not under the control of your parents).
  2. You have been abused or neglected by your parents or guardians. (The doctor is required by law to report this information to law enforcement.)
  3. The abortion has to be done right away because of a medical emergency and there is no time to notify your parents.

If you are under 18 years old, and you are not in one of the categories listed above, follow these instructions if you want to ask the court to get an abortion without the permission of your parents. In order to allow this, the court must decide that notifying your parents about the abortion would not be in your best interest or that you are mature enough to decide whether to have an abortion.

How to Start a Case

You should file your paperwork with the district court in the county where you live, unless you are filing in Denver County. If you file your paperwork in Denver County, you will go to the Denver Juvenile Court. Use the courts locator to find the correct court location.

Forms and Paperwork Required

Use the forms link above to download and fill out JDF 11 Petition for Waiver of Parental Notification Requirements and JDF 12 Setting Notice. For additional details on completing these forms, consult JDF 10 Instructions for Obtaining Judicial Bypass of Parental Notification Requirements.

Paperwork Tips

You will be known as the Petitioner or the Minor.

Enter your name in the space next to where it says Name of Minor in the top part of JDF 11 Petition for Waiver of Parental Notification Requirements and JDF 12 Setting Notice.

Sign the bottom of the Petition for Waiver of Parental Notification Requirements where it says Signature of Minor. If you have a lawyer helping you, the lawyer will also sign the form.

Fill out only the top part of the Setting Notice. The court will fill out the rest of the form.

How to Submit Paperwork to the Court

  1. Give the competed forms to the clerk at the counter in the courthouse to file your case. Make a copy of JDF 11 Petition for Waiver of Parental Notification Requirements and JDF 12 Setting Notice, then take your original completed forms to the clerk.
  2. There is no filing fee required.

After Paperwork Is Filed

The court is required to give you a hearing and make a final decision on your case within four calendar days of the day you filed your paperwork.

The court will fill out JDF 12 Setting Notice with the date and time of your hearing.

During the Hearing

At the hearing, the judge may ask you questions about your maturity and why you think it is not in your best interest to get your parent's or guardian's permission to have the abortion.

You may bring witnesses to help tell your side of the story.

After the Hearing

If the judge makes a decision in your favor, you will get an Order from the court saying that you are allowed to get an abortion without telling your parents or guardians.

Show this Order to your doctor when you go to get an abortion so the doctor knows that he/she is allowed to do the abortion without telling your parents or guardians.

Additional Resources