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 News from Around the Americas | November 2005 
Californians Consider Abortion Limits
 Lisa Leff - Associated Press
| | California, seen as one of the most sexually liberated states, could limit teenagers' access to abortion next week in the least known but most divisive ballot measure in a lackluster special election. (Reuters/Jim Ruymen) |
San Francisco - Californians will decide whether to make it harder for girls to terminate pregnancies without their parents' knowledge, but recent polls suggest they will reaffirm voters' long-standing support for unfettered abortion access.
Proposition 73 on Tuesday's ballot would require doctors to give a parent or guardian written notice at least 48 hours before performing an abortion on a minor.
Both abortion rights activists and backers of the proposed amendment agree the race is competitive enough that either side could prevail by mobilizing motivated voters.
"This is going to be a close one," said Steve Smith, campaign manager for the Campaign for Teen Safety, the anti-amendment group spearheaded by Planned Parenthood.
If it passes, California would become the 35th state with an abortion law requiring either parental notification or consent. But given its size and "blue" state sensibilities, national abortion rights advocates are concerned.
"I hope it's not a bellwether and I hope it doesn't pass," said Dr. Wendy Chavkin, chairwoman of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health, which dispatched doctors to debates and public meetings as part of the "No on 73" campaign.
Although adults would not have to give permission for a girl to get an abortion under the proposed law, sponsors hope the notification requirement would reduce California's teen abortion rate the nation's fourth-highest by getting parents in on the decision.
"The idea is to create a waiting or reflection period so in principle, there is time for a parent to be involved and do some counseling," said Albin Rhomberg, a spokesman for Parents' Right to Know, the group behind Proposition 73.
The notion of parental notification resonates with many voters who favor legalized abortion but do not think it is out of line for the state to help a 13-year-old's parents learn she's pregnant.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican who favors abortion rights, has endorsed Proposition 73, even though he has not actively campaigned for it.
According to a recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California, 70 percent of likely voters would not support overturning Roe. v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision guaranteeing the right to an abortion.
But a new Field Poll released Wednesday found likely voters more evenly divided on Proposition 73, with 49 percent opposing the parental notification requirement and 41 percent supporting it. The margin of error was plus or minus 6 percentage points.
"This is about parents' rights," said Cindy Moles, who directs the anti-abortion group Concerned Women of America's activities in three counties including San Diego County. "In California you can't let your daughter get her ears pierced without parental permission, and yet she can get a not-insignificant surgical procedure with someone else making the decisions."
Abortion opponents in California have tried for over two decades to make it harder for girls to get abortions. The Legislature passed a parental consent law during the 1980s, but after a lengthy legal battle it was permanently enjoined by the state Supreme Court.
Backers think their timing is right this time. The million-dollar signature-gathering effort was underwritten by three wealthy patrons San Diego newspaper publisher James Holman, vintner Don Sebastiani and Dominos Pizza founder Tom Monaghan.
Sponsors initially planned to have Californians vote on the measure next June, but it got swept onto the November ballot when Schwarzenegger called the special election.
The proposal contains several exceptions to the two-day advance notification a doctor could perform an abortion in a medical emergency and a judge could waive the requirement on a case-by-case basis.
Abortion rights activists worry that some of the detailed requirements and language spelled out in the measure are overly restrictive.
But Stan Devereux, a spokesman for the Yes on 73 campaign, said the amendment makes clear that its effect would be limited to notification of parents or guardians.
"This is not cutting-edge. This is not breaking new ground. This is not a stealth attempt to overturn Roe v. Wade," he said.
On the Net:
http://www.parentsright2know.org - http://www.noonproposition73.com/ |
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