Once again, California voters will be given the opportunity to vote on an initiative -- Proposition 4 -- that would require family involvement when a girl under the age of 18 is facing a decision about abortion. And once again, opponents are using scare tactics to prevent Californians from protecting our daughters.
The problem
In California, a girl under age 18 can’t get a tan at a tanning salon, a cavity filled, or an aspirin dispensed by the school nurse without a parent knowing. But a doctor can perform a surgical or chemical abortion on a young girl without informing a parent.
The answer
Proposition 4 will require a doctor to notify at least one adult family member before performing an abortion on an under-18-year-old girl.
Facts
Medical professionals know that a young person is safer when a parent or family member is informed of her medical situation. Someone who knows the girl and cares about her future can help her understand all her options, obtain competent care, and work through the problems that led her into the situation to begin with.
On a daily basis, older men exploit young girls and use secret abortions to cover up their crimes. More than thirty states currently have parental/family involvement laws like Proposition 4 in effect. States which have laws like Proposition 4 have experienced real reductions in pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases among young girls.
This year's measure is a refinement of earlier attempts that sought the same thing -- that girls not face such a difficult decision alone. The coalition of doctors, nurses, educators and law enforcement behind Proposition 4 have made several changes to answer criticisms, most notably that a physician may notify another family member if parental abuse is suspected. That, after all, was the rallying cry of opponents to the last parental involvement initiative -- that a child would be in danger if an abusive parent were notified.
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