Crossposted from Revealing the ACLU: Those of you who live in California are, I am sure, well aware of what proposition 85 is all about. For those of you who do not, Proposition 85 is a California state proposal which would require parental consent for underage girls who want an abortion. The proposal includes a waiting period of 48 hours after consent for an abortion to be performed. If passed, California will join the other 35 states which already have parental consent laws on the books.
The complete text of Proposition 85 can be found here.
The forces for and against Proposition 85 have been lining up for some time. Naturally Planned Parenthood is in the forefront opposing any law that would make it the least bit more difficult to kill the unborn.
Opponents to Proposition 85 are quick to trot out the “laws can’t enforce good family communication” argument, which is crazy. Parental notification for anything is not a bit about good family communication, and is all about the fact that minors are less capable of making a mature and informed decision. The simple fact that the minor is pregnant shows, in my opinion, the immaturity in making life decisions.
The safety issue is another red haring, in at most the law would require only a 48 hour waiting period.
The ACLU was a vocal opponent to last years version of this bill, Proposition 73, but has been mostly silent of Proposition 85.
Townhall hit the nail on the head in their article on Proposition 85:
As the law now stands, many teens don’t tell their parents because they don’t have to — they know that no matter how well off their family is, they can get a government-paid abortion by pleading poverty, and their folks will be none the wiser. That’s just not right.
It’s also not right when the law tells kids they can make all the wrong moves — sex without contraception — and enjoy the right to hide it from their parents. In my experience, many teens who get pregnant harbor a strong desire to have a child — a baby friend. Those girls easily could get pregnant again.
The local Planned Parenthood folks estimated that, at their clinics, three in four teens get birth control after an abortion. Those girls do not need a law that presumes they know more than their parents — they need adult supervision.
I am not a California resident, but I encourage any of you who are to support this bill when it comes to vote. It is good sense – parents have enough coming between us and our children, we do not need the law to aid in that separation.
More information of Proposition 85:
