California Gov. Schwarzenegger "Backs" Parental Notification on Abortion 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 22, 2005
Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he supports the principle behind a November ballot proposal that would require abortion practitioner to notify the parents of a teenager who is considering an abortion. The goal of the measure is to ensure parents can help their daughters find abortion alternatives.
Schwarzenegger said he supports the "concept" of Proposition 73 but he’s not sure if he will actually take a position on the proposal. The initiative would amend the state constitution to require notification 48 hours before a minor’s abortion.
Schwarzenegger, who is pro-abortion, has two teenage daughters and two preteen sons. In an interview with California media, he said, "I wouldn’t want to have someone take my daughter to a hospital for an abortion or something and not tell me. I would kill him if they do that."
After saying he didn’t mean he would literally kill someone, Schwarzenegger added, "It will be the ultimate of being outraged about it and angry about it."
He told the Sacramento Bee newspaper that his children’s schools "call us about everything" and he would want to be notified if one of his daughters was considering an abortion.
“They call me when my daughter falls off the jungle gym in the school and they say, ‘What do you want us to use? Can we put a Band-Aid on it? Do you want to come in? She’s crying a little bit,’" he explained.
"They call us about everything. I don’t want them in that particular incident
not to call us," the governor added.
That’s the same sentiment expressed by Monty Patterson, the father of Holly Patterson, who died in September 2003 after using an abortion drug she obtained from a Bay Area Planned Parenthood. Patterson strongly supports Proposition 73 and wants parents to not be left in the dark about an abortion.
He didn’t know about the abortion drugs Holly took until she developed severe complications from it.
The measure also requires abortion practitioners to keep statistics on the number of abortions performed on minors and failure to do so would result in fines.
