| Campaign to Defeat Proposition 85 |
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21 Sep 2006
What’s Proposition 85 All About? What’s at Stake for California Teens? Proposition 85, if passed, would serve as a governmental intrusion into private family affairs, regulating family communication and personal decisions that affect the lives of young women. The law is especially dangerous for California’s most vulnerable teens, such as those in abusive homes or pregnant as a result of rape or incest. Forcing teenagers to delay medical care puts them at risk for higher medical complications. Why oppose Proposition 85? Parental Notification laws, despite their intentions to protect young women, put many in danger by placing a barrier between them and safe medical care. While young women are encouraged to talk to their families, there are some circumstances in which daughters can’t discuss certain sensitive issues with their parents. Many teens are ashamed and afraid of being a disappointment to the family and some daughters know that they could get kicked out of their house, abused, or even worse if they told their parents about their decision. Attempting to mandate communication within families is not the solution to helping parents keep their daughters safe. Comprehensive sex-education, prevention programs, and access to affordable birth control are more affective in progressing the reproductive health of young women. Shouldn’t parents have a right to know about their daughter’s abortion? Most parents’ top priority is the health and safety of their teen. Although many parents are successful in communicating with their teens about health and sexuality, some young women can’t or won’t go to their parents with an issue like an unplanned pregnancy. Most parents would agree that it is most important for their daughters to be safe, whether that means coming to them or not. Do teens usually talk to their parents about the decision to have an abortion? Research shows that most young women faced with an unplanned pregnancy DO talk to their parents about their options. Studies have shown that the younger the woman, the more likely it is that she will include her parents in her decision concerning an unplanned pregnancy. Family Planning and clinic counselors encourage young women to speak with their family; however, issues such as abortion and sexuality are sensitive and some families are do not communicate when it comes to these topics. Will Proposition 85 reduce abortion in California? Proposition 85 is the wrong way to go about reducing abortion in California. Many states that have introduced parental consent and notification laws have seen no drop in the number of abortions performed on minors. The most effective way to prevent unplanned pregnancy in teens is to talk to them early about responsible and appropriate sexual behavior and continue that discussion throughout their lives. The tools that parents need to help their daughters make safe and healthy decisions come in the form of honest sex education and access to contraception, not government mandates and constitutional amendments. |
