Proposition 4: Voters To Decide on Parental Notification

[The Straight Story]

Proposition 4: Voters To Decide on Parental Notification
Posted By: Alicia Malaby 11 hrs ago

SACRAMENTO, CA -- In November, California voters will go to the polls to decide the outcome of Proposition 4, a constitutional amendment that requires parental notification when a minor has an abortion.

Under the proposal, a doctor would be required to notify a girl's parent or legal guardian 48 hours before performing an abortion. Currently, minors can obtain an abortion without their parents knowledge.

"I have 3 daughters. The oldest is 17, and the idea that somebody can go to her school and pick her up, take her for an abortion without my knowing, just scares me so much. It is just a common sense law in my opinion," said Julie Pecha, a supporter of Proposition 4.

Opponents said under ideal circumstances teens would tell their parents of pregnancies, but realistically some do not. Those teens, opponents argue, need the option of having an abortion without their parents being notified.

While Proposition 4 offers a judicial waiver which allows a minor to bypass the parental notification requirement, opponents argue it is not realistic for a pregnant minor to obtain one. They also said a physician's option of notifying a relative instead of a girl's parents in cases of abuse does little to protect the pregnant teen.

http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=47786&catid=2&GID=THtWvNnSGI5VhuaeqN0fgdIM7VffP1AVcgx+zJC/oYs%3D

[Kerrytravelers]

1. The LA Times had an excellent editorial on this.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-ratner15-2008sep15,0,2760726.story

California's deceptive Proposition 4
It says it's about parental notification, but it's really about attacking legalized abortion.
By Francesca Ratner
September 15, 2008


<snip>

What usually happens on this issue is a majority of the "pro-life" camp votes "yes" and a majority of the "pro-choice" group votes "no." And then there are all those uninformed people in the middle, who are not even sure they can leave some entries on their ballots un-punched. As a responsible member of that third category, I studied the 2006 proposition and this year's initiative closely.

<snip>

After wandering the maze of legal terms, clauses and subsections, I emerged with a clear notion that a heap of physicians' forms, consent, coercion and court appeals do not belong under the title of "parental notification."

And if you're still not persuaded to read the full legal text of Proposition 4, here is my version of how an honest summary of Proposition 4 should read:

Proposition to Curtail Abortion for Teenage Girls:

* Do not allow minors to obtain abortions behind their parents' backs.

* Create an undue burden on physicians, with miles of red tape and severe repercussions for a misstep in filing notifications, reports, etc.

* Make sure pregnant teens go through humiliation and exposure.

* Create a pretext for taking the matter of abortion to court.

* Add vague clauses regarding "court relief" and "coercion," which could warrant further litigation.

Abortion is an unfortunate occurrence for women, and even more so for underage girls. And performing one on a minor behind her parents' backs is often wrong. Nonetheless, selling Proposition 4 as just "parental notification" is dishonest. Those who use such ploys should not be allowed to rewrite the Constitution.

_______________________

Also interesting is the tidbit that the opposition uses false stories (shocker, I tells you, shocker) to coherse people into voting against the interests of young girls in distress.

He then brought up an example in which a girl had been kidnapped by her parents in Maine to be forcibly taken to an abortion clinic. I found on the "Yes on 85" website that he was alluding to the case of Katelyn Kampf. A quick investigation revealed that Kampf was an adult, not a minor, when she was kidnapped. Her parents were arrested, and she got to keep her baby -- without the aid of a constitutional amendment such as the one under Proposition 4.




These people make me sick. If a young girl is raped by her father, she has to go through hell just to terminate.

We have to protect our young women from these monsters.

[margotb822]

2. Prop 4

assumes that everyone seeking an abortion comes from a well-adjusted household.

I went to a PP fundraiser last week and the organizers talked a bit about prop 4. They said over 75% of miors DO bring a trusted adult with them, though not always a parent.

Prop 4 makes no accomodation for those that are raised by an anut or grandma or family friend. It also makes no accomodation for incest-type situations.

Prop 4 is an attempt to curb a woman's right to choose.

No on Prop 4!

[margotb822]

3. Also, in response to Julie (from the article),

odd that she cares so much about her daughter having an abortion, but not so much about what she's doing that led up to that point. She apparently has no interest in her daughter's life up to this point, why should she care now? I would argue that this woman has no common sense...