On a similar note, Colorado rejected a constitutional amendment that would have defined a person to include "any human being from the moment of fertilization," a first of its kind in the nation.

Good.

As for the CA amendment, I don't know, I think parents have a right to be notified if their child is going to have surgery.

Holy crap Birch! I can't believe you think that way. You really shocked me.

The majority of teens (over 60%) that are having abortions already do notify a parent. the rest do not for many reasons, some of which include violent reactions from parents.

Parental notification laws are harmful to teens. They cause teens to take matters into their own hands and seek back alley abortions. These laws also cause late term abortions, because teens wait until they turn 18, or the delay telling a parent due to fear, or they have to go through the arduous judicial bypass system.

Teens do not have to notify parents before they give birth, and that is a much more dangerous medical procedure than an abortion.

A Doctor Explains Why She Opposes California Prop 4

Sophia-Yen.gifBy Dr. Sophia Yen
Pediatrician and Adolescent Medicine Specialist
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford

As a pediatrician, a specialist in adolescent medicine, and the mother of a two-year-old daughter, I urge everyone to vote no on Proposition 4. Prop. 4 is a threat to public health and teen safety.

As doctors, we encourage our patients to speak with their parents. And we know from research that a majority of adolescents do confide in their parents about the decision to have an abortion.

But as doctors, we need to be there for teens when they can’t talk to their parents. Prop. 4 puts a barrier between us and the teenagers that need our care the most.

Here’s what I know from experience and research:

Desperate teenagers take desperate measures

Some teens when faced with Prop. 4 will seek out unsafe, illegal abortions, which can result in infertility or even death.

In a recent survey of California teens, 37% said they would travel out of state and 12% said they would leave the country to obtain abortion care if parental notification was required.

While working with teenagers in San Francisco, I have seen what some teenagers do when they are desperate—they try to kill themselves. Many times I have been called into the ICU to talk to an adolescent that took a bottle of pills after a disagreement with or from fear of shaming her parents.

I want my patients to seek safe, appropriate medical care—not risk their lives and health in desperation.

Government cannot mandate healthy family communication

Studies show that when young women do not confide in their parents, they have good reason. One in three of these teens has experienced violence in their home, is afraid it will recur, or fears being thrown out of the house. Others are victims of incest, raped by a family member. No law can force these families to start talking.

Laws need to protect teenagers, not put them in harm’s way

The data show that parental involvement laws endanger teen health by delaying medical care for pregnancy and increasing the number of teens that cross state boundaries for abortion.

Imagine the young women in your life—your daughter, granddaughter, niece or your future daughter or future granddaughter. Is your need to know more important than that young woman’s health and life?

If the people who wrote this law really wanted to prevent teenage pregnancy and abortions, they would have focused their time and money on increasing access to contraception and comprehensive sexual education. Instead they chose Prop. 4.

If the people who wrote this law really wanted to increase family communication, they could have focused all the millions spent on Proposition 4 and the two propositions before it on passing a requirement for high schools to teach family communication for one semester. But the authors of Prop 4 did not.

Prop. 4 says it would allow teens to notify another adult family member, but if a young woman chose that option, she would be required to state in writing that her parents are abusing her. That report would be sent to Child Protective Services and result in a policeman coming to the house to investigate. We don’t want the police or government involved in our private family matters.

Prop. 4 is dangerous to the health of young women

This is why all the major medical organizations—including the California Medical Association, the California chapters of the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the California Nurses Association—all oppose Prop. 4.

The voters have said no to parental notification twice before. Please say no again and vote to protect California’s teenagers. Vote No on Proposition 4.

Dr. Sophia Yen is a pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. She is also a member of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health.

Birth is a natural process, abortion isn't.

Giving birth is far more likely to result in injury or death of the women. Abortion is far, far less risky or physically traumatic than giving birth.

If a parent isn't legally allowed to prevent their child from seeking an abortion, why should they be notified that their child is seeking an abortion? I keep imagining a an enraged parent slamming the phone down and saying "Not in MY house!" and preventing their daughter from going to her appointment, via grounding, taking away the car keys, taking them out of state for a "vacation", or any number of possibilities.

It's a breach of confidentiality. The minor has the right to her medical business being confidential.

I completely agree. Although there are good bonds between parents/daughter, there are always those cases. In a perfect world, teens wouldn't even get pregnant, and even if they did, parents would support them no matter what. Children should not be afraid of their parents, but unfortunately, there are plenty that do.

Maybe PARENTAL notification can be harmful. But, SOMEONE should know that a young girl is having a medical procedure done! Maybe some other trusted family member or other trusted adult that she would agree to have notified. Or someone from the courts. A girl would need permission for any other procedure. What would happen if something went wrong? Having an aborition is not always safe no matter that it is done in a doctor's office.

If the minor can understand the process then I disagree with parental notification for ANY medical procedure, including abortion.


A minor does not need parental notification for medical procedures provided they fall within the guidleines for understanding the nature of it. May be different where you are but those are the rules here



As with any medical procedure they would have details of her next of kin

Wrong. Abortion happens 9 times more often than birth.

I guess you mean miscarriage instead of abortion. Abortion happens when you are having a succesful pregnancy and you are killing the embryo/fetus by means of suction or pills to induce miscarriage.

Abort means "end prematurely". Whether it happens by a person's will or not has no bearing on the fact that thousands of pregnancies are naturally aborted by women's bodies each year-often without the women in question even realizing it.

Technically, a miscarriage is an abortion. It is a spontaneous rather than an induced abortion. In medical contexts, the word "abortion" refers to any process by which a pregnancy ends with the death and removal or expulsion of the fetus, regardless of whether it's spontaneous or intentionally induced.

I will put it this way, I did not need to notify my parents when I went to the doctor to get treated for strep throat. I did not need to notify them when I went in for a confirmation pregnacy test, nor did I need to notify them of any concurrent prenatal appointments. I did not need to notify them of my application to medicaid. So, unless a girl does not understand the procedures being done to her, then she doesn't need to notify a parent, nor do the doctors.

Then when you refer to abortion as of "spontaneous abortion" please say it that way "spontaneous abortion". Otherwise you will confuse people.

I guess this parental notification is due to just in case something goes wrong with the procedure the doctor can't be sued. What if it is your daughter a minor has a complication from the procedure and you find out by being notified in the hospital I mean really you bet the doctor better be covered.

The only people who will be confused are the people who "pretend to be confused", i.e. playing stupid, just to start random rants. Most educated people know that an abortion is an abortion, regardless whether it is spontaneous or medical. That is why this whole hoopla of "I am against abortion" is pointless. It happens every day...naturally.

The doctor cannot be sued anyway if the patient was of sound mind and informed of the risks. If the doctor totally screwed up, then yeah, sue away. But you cannot blame a doctor for a minor infection or an incomplete abortion. That is what follow-up appointments are for. The parental notification has nothing to do with protecting the doctors. That is what Medical Malpractice Insurance is for. The doctor is covered. Required BY LAW to be covered. And its usually a firm in cooperation with the Clinic/Hospital the doctor works at that covers him/her. Besides, I would be sure to be very open with my daughter so she never feels the need to go behind my back. That way, I will never recieve that call as I will be right there, standing by my daughter, holding her hand, if she chooses to get an abortion. That is what parents are for. Support-no matter what.

Actually, the doctor can be sued if the patient was a minor. Minors have zero rights, they cannot be of sound mind or give informed consent. Requiring parental notification will help protect doctors against lawsuits.

That doesn't mean I agree with it, someone posted about how most teens tell their parents anyways and those who do not have legitimate reasons not to tell. So the law would be somewhat a moot point, but it may have an impact on accountability for physicians.