Los Angeles Times examines Proposition 85

Oct 17 2006

The Los Angeles Times on Tuesday examined Proposition 85, a California ballot measure that would require physicians to notify a parent or guardian before performing an abortion on a minor (Hall, Los Angeles Times, 10/17).

The measure would require unmarried girls younger than age 18 to inform a parent or legal guardian of their intention to have an abortion 48 hours before undergoing the procedure.

The initiative is similar to Proposition 73, which failed in November 2005, but it eliminates language that defines abortion as resulting in the "death of an unborn child, conceived but not yet born."

In addition, Proposition 85 does not include a provision in Proposition 73 that would have mandated reporting on how many judicial waivers a judge has approved (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 8/7).

Supporters of the measure say that minors are not given confidentiality for any other medical procedure, the Times reports.

The decision of whether to have an abortion has "implications for a young woman's mental, physical and emotional health, ... [and] the decision should involve her parents," Mary Davenport -- an El Sobrante, Calif.-based ob-gyn and supporter of Proposition 85 -- said.

According to the Times, opponents of the measure say parent-child communication should not be legislated.

"The scariest thing about this law is that it jeopardizes the most vulnerable women," Susan Baldwin, a Los Angeles County public health physician, said.

Supporters of the measure in the state's Official Voter Information Guide say that "secret abortions on minors in California are rarely reported to child protective services, although these pregnancies are evidence of statutory rape and sexual abuse."

Kathy Kneer, CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, said, "They're trying to say our staff, our health care professionals, are aiding and abetting child sexual predators, and we find that to be ludicrous, unsubstantiated, and we're not going to let them get away with it."

According to the Times, advocates on both sides of the initiative are "point[ing] to extreme cases of girls in other states who become distraught" by either being forced to notify their parent or not telling a parent.

Thirty-four states have laws concerning parental notification for abortion (Los Angeles Times, 10/17).