Issue Date: 10/31/05
Proposition 73 - Parental Notification: No
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Imagine you are a 17-year-old girl. A freshman in college, you are out to obtain your goals for your future. During the course of your entry into this new "adult" world, you make decisions and find yourself with an unplanned, unwanted pregnancy.
You know you are unable to properly care for a child during this stage in your life. And because of a state law passed 52 years ago in 1953, you have the right to receive the same types of pregnancy care as adults - including the right to an abortion without parental consent or notification.
If you were to choose an abortion, would you openly communicate your decision to your parents or would you prefer to handle your personal problem on your own by visiting your doctor without your parents knowing?
Neither answer is wrong; but come Nov. 8, voting in favor of Proposition 73 in the Nov. 8 state special election could force you into telling your parents before being allowed to obtain the abortion.
The goal of implementing Prop. 73 is to change California's Constitution to require a doctor to alert the parents or guardians at least 48 hours prior to performing an abortion on a minor.
Under current law, minors 12-years and older have access to contraceptives, prenatal care, STD and HIV testing, adoption placement services and mental health services without a required parental consent or notification.
Additionally, the California Reproductive Privacy Act implemented in 2002 orders privacy rights that were established by the U.S. Supreme Court in Roe vs. Wade. It declares that every individual possesses a right of privacy with respect in all reproductive decisions and the state of CA cannot deny or interfere with a woman's right to choose an abortion.
The ordering of minors and/or physicians to obtain parental or a guardian's consent before performing an abortion - a choice that was decided by the actual pregnant individual - is wrong and the achievement of Prop. 73 could prove to cost taxpayers more and provide an unsafe environment for teenagers.
You know you are unable to properly care for a child during this stage in your life. And because of a state law passed 52 years ago in 1953, you have the right to receive the same types of pregnancy care as adults - including the right to an abortion without parental consent or notification.
If you were to choose an abortion, would you openly communicate your decision to your parents or would you prefer to handle your personal problem on your own by visiting your doctor without your parents knowing?
Neither answer is wrong; but come Nov. 8, voting in favor of Proposition 73 in the Nov. 8 state special election could force you into telling your parents before being allowed to obtain the abortion.
The goal of implementing Prop. 73 is to change California's Constitution to require a doctor to alert the parents or guardians at least 48 hours prior to performing an abortion on a minor.
Under current law, minors 12-years and older have access to contraceptives, prenatal care, STD and HIV testing, adoption placement services and mental health services without a required parental consent or notification.
Additionally, the California Reproductive Privacy Act implemented in 2002 orders privacy rights that were established by the U.S. Supreme Court in Roe vs. Wade. It declares that every individual possesses a right of privacy with respect in all reproductive decisions and the state of CA cannot deny or interfere with a woman's right to choose an abortion.
The ordering of minors and/or physicians to obtain parental or a guardian's consent before performing an abortion - a choice that was decided by the actual pregnant individual - is wrong and the achievement of Prop. 73 could prove to cost taxpayers more and provide an unsafe environment for teenagers.