California Proposal for Parental Notification on Abortion Makes November Ballot
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
June 2, 2008
Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) — California voters will, once again, have an opportunity to vote on allowing parents to be notified when their minor daughter is considering an abortion. The California Secretary of State has determined that Sarah’s Law, the latest version of the parental notification initiative, has qualified for the November 4 ballot.
Proponents submitted more than 1.2 million signatures on petitions seeking a third vote on adult involvement in minors’ abortions, after Propositions 73 and 85 were narrowly defeated in 2005 and 2006.
On Friday, the Secretary of State, using random sampling, determined that Sarah’s Law had qualified and will be placed before voters in November.
"Legislation was passed in this state in October requiring a minor to bring a parent into a tanning salon to sign a consent form because of health risks," Grace Dulaney, Sarah’s Law spokeswoman, told LifeNews.com.
"Common sense would dictate that some adult in the family be notified prior to an abortion, a serious medical procedure with significant potential health risks," she said.
Named for a 15-year-old girl who died just four days after an abortion left her with a torn cervix and fatal infection, Sarah’s Law will protect the health and safety of young girls and prevent sexual predators from hiding behind secret abortions performed on their minor victims, Dulaney explained.
Physicians in Sarah’s case said that, had an adult family member been aware that she had undergone an abortion, her life likely could have been spared by prompt medical attention.
If approved, the measure would require an abortion practitioner to notify a parent or other adult family member before performing an abortion on a minor girl under the age of 18.
That’s a change from the previous proposals, which required only that parents be notified about the potential law.
Supporters hope it will help the measure get more votes, but some pro-life advocates are not supporting the revised initiative because they don’t think anyone other than a girl’s parents should be told about her abortion. They say the revised measure would keep parents in the dark while a family member who may not know the girl or her parents well would be notified instead.
Dulaney says the law is also needed to help stop the practice of sexual abusers using abortion to cover up their crimes and further victimize young girls.
"Additionally, many of these minor girls are impregnated by adult male sexual predators who, under California law, are hiding their crimes of statutory rape by coercing their victims to have secret abortions," she said.
"Sarah’s Law shows that we don’t have to choose between protecting young girls from the dangers of secret abortions and ensuring their safety at home," Dulaney concluded. "This is a win-win solution. It’s a progressive law for a progressive state."
Related web sites:
Friends of Sarah – https://www.friendsofsarah.com
