California Very Narrowly Opposes Third Try for Parental Notification on Abortion
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 5, 2008
Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) — The third try wasn’t the charm for pro-life advocates who want parents to have a chance to know when their minor daughters are considering an abortion. California voters defeated two previous attempts to install a parental notification measure in the state’s constitution and an attempt to expand the language of the proposal to include adult relatives failed to win the day.
On election night, Proposition 4 lost by a very small margin with 52 percent of California residents voting against it and 48 percent voting for it.
Most of the polls leading up to the vote showed a plurality of voters supporting the parental notification initiative, but a final poll had the measure going down in defeat.
In the final survey released by the Field Poll, 37 percent of those opposing the measure said abortion is a woman’s right that shouldn’t be violated and gave that as their reason for opposing the measure.
Another 32 percent were worried about the risk in notifying parents, even though emergency clauses and notification of an adult relative are included. About 9 percent of California voters say government shouldn’t be involved in abortion, seven percent said the measure violates their pro-abortion views, and 5 percent erroneously think the government will be spending money on the measure and oppose it for that reason.
Most of the supporters of Proposition 4 said they back parental rights or parental involvement for a minor’s abortion.
Another 11 percent said they support the measure because it will reduce abortions, 11 percent said pregnant teenagers are not mature enough to make abortion decisions, and 8 percent said it would help give teenagers other options apart from abortion.
Related web sites:
Yes on 4 – https://www.yeson4.net
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