San Francisco Chronicle Editorial Urges ‘No’ Vote on Parental Notification Measure
Proposition 73 would increase "the risk that pregnant teens fearful of their parents' reaction will delay having" an abortion, which would "rais[e] the danger to their health," a San Francisco Chronicle editorial states, adding that state residents should "reject Proposition 73" in the Nov. 8 special election (San Francisco Chronicle, 10/13).
Proposition 73 would amend the state constitution to require health care providers to inform a parent or guardian 48 hours before performing an abortion on an unmarried minor (California Healthline, 10/13).
"The way to reduce abortion is not a law that requires frightened young women to either face a judge or the wrath of their parents," the editorial states, concluding, "It's about increasing communication -- about sex, about choices, about consequences -- that prevents an accidental pregnancy in the first place" (San Francisco Chronicle, 10/13).
KPCC's "Talk of the City" on Thursday included a discussion of Proposition 73. Guests on the program included Catherine Short, legal director of the Life Legal Defense Foundation, and Dawn Wilcox, spokesperson for Campaign for Teen Safety (Felde, "Talk of the City," KPCC, 10/13). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.
In related news, KPBS' "KPBS News" on Thursday reported on a Guttmacher Institute study that found parental notification laws can negatively affect teenagers' health. The segment includes comments from Cynthia Dailard, study author and senior public policy associate at the institute (Goldberg, "KPBS News," KPBS, 10/13). The complete transcript is available online. The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.
The Guttmacher Institute study also is available online.
Additional information on Proposition 73 is available online.