Message from the news archive... and a transcript of a recorded message:
As you may know, under current California law a minor girl under the age of 18 cannot leave school to go on a field trip, she cannot get a flu shot, a tooth pulled, or even an aspirin from the school nurse without one of her parents being notified.This same initiative was very narrowly defeated last year.
Yet that same child -- a girl as young as 12 years old -- can be taken by a complete stranger to an abortion center, put under general anesthesia, and undergo a surgical or chemical abortion without her parents' knowledge or consent.
This is why I urge you to support, work for and vote YES on Proposition 85, the Parents' Right to Know and Child Protection Initiative, on Election Day, Tuesday, November 7th.
Proposition 85 requires a physician to notify at least one parent 48 hours before performing an abortion on a girl under 18 years old.
Parents have a duty to protect their own children. Engaged in the raising of their daughter, parents have insight into what is best for their children; they know her personal and medical history. Parents are the best ones to help a minor daughter understand all her options if she becomes pregnant. Without parental involvement, other influences can dominate.
Parental notification laws are desperately needed to protect young girls.
Here is another vital reason you and I should vote YES on Proposition 85 on November 7th: secret abortions on minors allow the exploitation of tens of thousands of vulnerable girls, leaving them physically and emotionally devastated.
More than thirty states now have parental notification or consent laws, and these states have seen a dramatic drop in teen abortions AND teen pregnancies as a result of this change in the law. Here in California, the Office of the Legislative Analyst estimates that parental notification would reduce the number of abortions in our state by 25% per year.
So please vote YES on Proposition 85 on November 7th. And please do all you can to promote this crucial measure, and urge your family, friends and neighbors to do the same.
I hope you will join with me in praying daily, from now until the November elections, that voters will strongly support Proposition 85.
