Parental notification ballot proposal leads in California

Oct 24, 2008 / 01:12 am

Proposition 4, the California ballot proposal that requires a waiting period and parental notification before a girl under 18 may have an abortion, is leading among likely voters by 52 to 33 percent, a new survey reports.

The survey was conducted for the Knights of Columbus by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion between September 28 and October 5, 2008.

According to the survey, the initiative has majority support among women, those aged 45 or older, and Latinos. Latino support for Proposition 4 runs at 61 to 27 percent. The proposal also leads among men overall, but trails among likely voters between 18 and 29 years of age by 52 to 41 percent.

Proposition 4 leads by double digits in every region of California except the Bay Area, where 48 percent are opposed.

About 75 percent of California’s likely voters say parents or legal guardians have the right to know if their underage daughter is seeking an abortion. The survey reports that 76 percent of likely California voters favor significant restrictions on abortion, with 47 percent believing abortion should be restricted to cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother, or should never be permitted.

According to the survey, 84 percent of Catholic likely voters favor significant restrictions. Among Latino likely voters, 85 percent favor significant restrictions while 61 percent would limit abortion to cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother, or say it should never be permitted.

Full details of the poll results are available at www.kofc.org.