Parental notification defeated

[jayem]

A busy election day in California. Voters also defeated a proposed amendment to the state constitution requiring parental notification before a minor could undergo an abortion. (Registration needed.)

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/11/09/california_abortion_notification_measure_fails_along_with_schwarzeneggers_four_ballot_initiatives_fail/


I admit to mixed feelings about this. I strongly believe parents should be involved their children's health care, and that communication within families is a good thing. But there are an awful lot of bad, abusive parents out there. And you have to be dreaming if you think you can achieve good family dynamics by passing a law.

I actually think a more common scenario is that families pressure their pregnant daughters to have abortions against their will. I wonder if any reliable data on this exists.

 

[loriersea]

I admit to mixed feelings about this. I strongly believe parents should be involved their children's health care, and that communication within families is a good thing. But there are an awful lot of bad, abusive parents out there. And you have to be dreaming if you think you can achieve good family dynamics by passing a law.

I also have mixed feelings on this. I do think that minors should have the supervision of a responsible adult when undergoing any medical procedure, which abortion is. You want to make sure they follow all of the aftercare guidelines and understand what is going on. But, I'm not sure parents could be trusted to make a decision in the best interest of their child (as opposed to in the interest of their own ideology) on this issue.

While I'm sure many parents will try to force a child to have an abortion, they do not have the legal right to do so, and post-abortion counselling is provided by most abortion providers to make sure that the woman actually wants an abortion. A doctor would have an ethical obligation to not perform an abortion on a girl who didn't want one but whose parents were forcing her, and I imagine that you could be censured in some way for performing one in that case. Of course, a family could pressure their child behind-the-scenes into saying she wanted one to the doctor, even though she didn't, which I'm guessing is what would happen in most of these instances but, as you said, you can't legislate healthy families.

 

[trunks2k]

I'm with the mixed feelings people. Pretty much for the reasons stated above.

 

[wanderingone]

I am opposed to medical procedures being performed without some kind of permission or notification. I realize there are parents who will intervene with a minor child's desire to have and abortion or to obtain birth control but the idea of my child undergoing surgery and my not being aware is not acceptable. With the exception of life saving procedures I don't think it's acceptable for my children to be provided with medical care without my consent or AT LEAST my being notified.

When I think about all the medical care available to minors with no need of parental notification it makes me very nervous. It's not just abortion it's all "reproductive health care"

I understand there are parents who won't allow access.. but I also know there are kids who just don't want to face their parents.. even if their parents would be supportive, or at least THERE for them. I also understand there are kids who have NO parental support and getting medical care when you have neglectful parents who aren't around to give permission is a problem too. I think there needs to be some sort of notification even if it's not full parental permission required.

 

[BeautyForAshes]

I don't have any mixed feelings about this, parents should be notified. You would need parental permission for any other type of surgery, so why not for an abortion?

 

[k]

This is a good thing because it allows young women the freedom to make the decisions for themselves on a situation they know better than any of us. The Beaver Family really does exist only in Hollywood.

 

[Cerberus~]

The bill had a clause stating that if the girl feared abuse, she could petition a court to allow her to have the abortion without parental notification.

Pure lunacy. And, it's San Fransico, how many fundy, abusive parents can there possibly be in San Fran? 3?

 

[wanderingone]

This is a good thing because it allows young women the freedom to make the decisions for themselves on a situation they know better than any of us. The Beaver Family really does exist only in Hollywood.

It's not about the Beaver Family though..my daughter is 12 years old.. and physically able to get pregnant.. while I truly hope that my relationship with her is such that she wouldn't be sexually active without my knowing; I'm aware the best of family relationships still include children who hide things from their parents. The idea of a child that age getting surgery... and having no adult who is aware is frightening. There is aftercare required, medication sometimes, danger signs and symptoms to watch out for. Children and teens make impulsive decisions, and when hiding something don't necessarily take the best care of themselves.

It's also not JUST about abortion. In many states reproductive care is in a medical class of its own. Very young teens have access to a range of medical services their parents may know nothing about.

 

[horuhe00]

I'm for the parents knowing about an abortion by their underaged daughter. I read the above posts and I see their point. None the less, I still belive it's the best overall.

 

[Quantos]

Got to love California

Outlaw telling parents that there children are going to have an operation,
Outlaw having Guns in your own house.(In San Fransico)

 

[Thirst_For_Knowledge]

I'm not sure how I feel about this either. I'm all for minors having to get permission for surgery.

But, what if their parents refuse to give them permission to have an abortion? In the end, do parents have the right to tell their child if they can keep a baby or not? This is something that will have an effect on the child for the rest of their lives. Do parents have the right to tell their child that they must keep a child and raise it for the rest of their lives?

 

[Quantos]

I'm not sure how I feel about this either. I'm all for minors having to get permission for surgery.

But, what if their parents refuse to give them permission to have an abortion? In the end, do parents have the right to tell their child if they can keep a baby or not? This is something that will have an effect on the child for the rest of their lives. Do parents have the right to tell their child that they must keep a child and raise it for the rest of their lives?

The Law didn't require the parents Permission, only that they were Notified that it was going to happen. And if the child had fear of the parents, they could go to the corts (Without cost) and then not have to notify the parents

 

[Thirst_For_Knowledge]

The Law didn't require the parents Permission, only that they were Notified that it was going to happen. And if the child had fear of the parents, they could go to the corts (Without cost) and then not have to notify the parents

Gotcha.

 

[charmtrap]

While I agree with the notion that teens should be communicating with their parents about these things, I don't believe that it should legally mandated. But that aside, I don't believe that was ultimate aim of the backers of this proposition. I think they wanted to get the "unborn child" language into the state constitution so that they could challenge other abortion and stem cell laws. This was a trojan horse proposition so that pro-lifers can chip away at abortion rights. So, I'm glad it was defeated.

 

[loriersea]

Got to love California

Outlaw telling parents that there children are going to have an operation.

Just to state the obvious, parental notification does not "outlaw" a parent being told that their child is having an abortion. It just does not require that the parent be notified, if the child doesn't want them to be.

I do think that reproductive care must be in a special class. If a child had to tell their parents they wanted birth control, many of them would never get it. They just go on having sex without protection. That is a dangerous situation. I'd rather see the health and well-being of children protected, than the "rights" of parents.

 

[Helo]

I think its is the lesser of two evils. Parents do have a right to know...but at the same time there are alot of parents out thier who would loose it if thier child did this.

They arent even bad parents, its just the way they would respond. Its not the abusive stuff thats just the problem. I mean what if you get a case of a girl who was date raped and wants to have an abortion to get rid of the child but the parents are strong anti-abortionists (And yes this does and has happend)?

This is the best choice of all the options, in my opinion

 

[Cerberus~]

I think its is the lesser of two evils. Parents do have a right to know...but at the same time there are alot of parents out thier who would loose it if thier child did this.

Why is everyone ignoring the clause that allows girls who fear abuse a pass?

 

[Helo]

Why is everyone ignoring the clause that allows girls who fear abuse a pass?

Because its not just physically abusive parents that are the problem.

I mean, in my family, if someone young came home and had an abortion and the family found out somehow, they would basically be an outcast in the family. The family's whole behavior towards that person would change in an instant. They would start watching that girl like the FBI, not trust her with ANYTHING. Thats not ABUSE...but its certainly a bad situation

 

[Cerberus~]

I think the bill provides for situations like that, but I would have to read the actual text.

 

[Helo]

I think the bill provides for situations like that

I seriously doubt it