Prop. 85 a good choice for families
Proposition 85 is common-sense litigation that many
“pro-choicers” and “pro-lifers” agree
upon.
It is only logical that parents, who are morally, legally and
financially responsible for their daughters, should be included in
a life-altering medical procedure such as abortion.
This initiative simply returns parental rights and
responsibilities to where they belong.
Many opponents of Proposition 85 say back-alley abortions will
proliferate and young women in abusive homes will suffer.
This is simply false.
Hospitals in more than 30 states that have laws of this sort
have not reported an increase in back-alley abortions.
Proposition 85 also allows minors to confidentially petition the
juvenile court for a waiver to bypass parental notification if she
is afraid to tell her parents.
In the sad situation that a girl’s fear of abuse is
founded, the court will provide a waiver within a week and report
the situation to the authorities.
Estey Theriault Fourth-year, geography and environmental
studies
Proposition halts patient care
As a physician who provides reproductive health care to young
people, I know the real answer to teen pregnancy lies in
prevention, comprehensive sex education and strong, caring
families.
Sadly, some teens in California live in homes where violence and
even sexual abuse occur.
If these vulnerable young women find themselves without options,
feeling desperate as women often do when confronting an unwanted
pregnancy, they may risk their lives by seeking back-alley
abortions or attempting to self-abort.
Thousands of women did this each year before abortion was
legalized throughout the U.S. in 1973, and with increasing
restrictions on legal abortions, women today may resort to these
measures again.
Physicians oppose Proposition 85 because it creates a barrier to
health care at a time when teens need it most.
It may be well-intended, but it offers the wrong solution.
Dr. Susie Baldwin Department of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, David Geffen School of Medicine Board member,
Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health