Parental notification laws actually do the opposite of what they intend. Instead of helping families communicate, these laws place teens in danger of emotional or even physical harm, especially if they come from abusive homes. In families where communication is already occurring, parental notification laws offer no benefits. In those families where communication has broken down or is non-existent, these laws unnecessarily put some teens' health at risk without offering families any solutions on how to better communicate.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, "…mandating parental notification does not achieve the intended benefit of promoting family communication, but it does increase the risk of harm to the adolescent by delaying access to appropriate care."

As a society we must come together to find real solutions to family communication problems rather than promote government-mandated family communication that only serves to punish those teens who are most vulnerable.