Parental notification initiative moves into hands of California voters

Sacramento, Calif., Jun 28, 2006 / 22:00 pm

A new initiative requiring doctors who wish to perform an abortion on a minor to wait 48 hours after informing her parents has made it on to California’s general election ballot where this November, it will pass into the hands of the state’s voters.

The Parents Right to Know and Child Protection initiative has received broad bi-partisan support from around the state and many parts of the nation.

Paul Laubacher, one of the initiative’s organizers said in a statement that, "We collected over one million signatures in just over three months and from every one of California’s 58 counties…This shows the wide public support for requiring a doctor to notify a parent before performing an abortion on a minor daughter -- who may be 12 or 13 years old or even younger."

“Certainly”, he said, “a mother or father would want to be at least notified before any invasive surgical or medical procedure is performed by an unknown doctor on their minor child.  It's just common sense and good public health policy to protect the health and safety of young girls."

A similar initiative, then known as Proposition 73, failed to pass a Special Election in November, 2005, although proponents point to its slim defeat.

One sticking point which may raise concern among pro-life advocates is that the new initiative allows for a minor to obtain permission from a judge to go ahead with the abortion without her parent’s consent if she can prove that it is necessary.

Nevertheless, proponents of the initiative say that they are hopeful that it will have a profound impact on protecting minors from older sexual predators and exploitation.

The initiative’s organizers point to a recent study showing that of 46,000 pregnancies among school-age girls in California, some two-thirds were impregnated by an adult male whose mean age was 22.6.

Added Laubacher: "We want to make sure parents find out about this exploitation, so they can help their daughters get out of such destructive situations.”