No On Proposition 4

Proposition 4, or the Abortion Waiting Period and Parental Notification Initiative, also known to its supporters as Sarah's Law, is an initiated amendment that will appear on the November 4, 2008 ballot in California. It proposes a new amendment to the California Constitution


The initiative would prohibit abortion for unemancipated minors until 48 hours after physician notifies minor’s parent, legal guardian or, if parental abuse has been reported, an alternative adult family member. 
From Balotpedia.org

There is no doubt that most reasonable people would view an abortion by a minor child as a serious issue.  More importantly is what was the reason that the minor wound up pregnant to begin with.

Parental notification is an idea that on it's surface makes sense in many ways.  The supporters of Proposition 4 make some valid points when they state that minors who don't receive parental support in getting abortions are at risk of getting them from less than qualified medical facilities and that Proposition 4 could help to expose sexual abuse.

That being said the larger issue is that most teens who find themselves pregnant and in need of an abortion and have supportive families don't need to worry about parental notification laws. However, a significant portion of those teens who are seeking abortions come from dysfunctional families and situations that notifying the parent of the abortion could lead to greater abuse for the child.

Therefore as much as Prop 4 addresses some important issues, it doesn't protect some of the most vulnerable pregnant teens out there. 

The emphasis should be on putting more resources into fighting abuse by dysfunctional parents and sexual predators.  More emphasis should be put into hold teens accountable for their sexual decisions.  If a teen becomes pregnant because they had unprotected sex with their boyfriend, then perhaps it's appropriate for them to carry the baby to term and put it up for adoption.  The cavalier notion that if a teen is knocked up she can get an abortion has to end.  To be sure, that doesn't apply to those who get pregnant by rape, abuse or incest before you pull that card out.

The bottom line is there has to be a saner approach to the issue than that promoted by the hard core pro-life groups as well as the pro-abortion lobby.