Intususseption

Yes on Prop. 85: Minors need protection, guidance

 Sixteen-year-old Rachel Ely's parents had no idea what was wrong with her when they found her in a coma on her bed one morning. She was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Riverside, where doctors determined she was suffering from an overwhelming septic bacterial infection ---- caused by an abortion she obtained without her parents' knowledge. Rachel survived but was left partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair.

Rachel's story illustrates just one of the dangers of secret abortions: young girls trying to hide their abortions from their parents will ignore or not recognize signs of post-abortion complications and delay seeking treatment until it is too late.

Did the doctor who operated on Rachel know her medical history? Not likely.


Was his license under discipline? Likely. California Medical Board records show that many doctors who end up at abortion clinics have disciplinary actions in their history for incompetence, negligence and even sexual abuse of their own patients.

That's the reality for minors seeking secret abortions: a pregnancy test, 15 minutes of filling out forms, and then an abortion performed by a doctor the girl has never seen before and will never see again.

Proposition 85 will put an end to this dangerous situation in California in which girls even younger than 12 can get an abortion without a parent knowing. She can't get a flu shot, have a tooth pulled, or go on a field trip without a parent's consent, but she can be taken to the clinic by anyone: her boyfriend, her boyfriend's mother, an adult male predator.

This is not a scare tactic, as the opposition says. Young girls are impregnated by older men at an alarming rate in California. Secret abortions allow these predators to cover up their crimes and continue the exploitative relationship ---- or move on to other victims. The younger the girl, the more likely she was impregnated by an adult male predator.

Parents spend years protecting the physical, psychological and emotional well-being of their daughters. They care about her future. A young girl ---- pregnant, scared, possibly abandoned or pressured by an older boyfriend or adult predator ---- needs the care and protection of a parent. Ten minutes with an employee of a clinic is not a substitute.

More than 30 states already have parental involvement laws like Prop. 85. Their experience shows that these laws substantially reduce teen abortion and pregnancy rates, as well as rates of sexually transmitted disease, without danger or harm to minors. Despite the opposition's dire predictions of minors turning to illegal abortions, there is no evidence that any girl has suffered harm because of a parental involvement law. There is plenty of evidence that girls have suffered when parents weren't informed about secret abortions that left their vulnerable daughters in the same exploitative relationship in which they got pregnant in the first place.

For those cases where a minor lives in an abusive home, Prop. 85 provides a quick and confidential procedure by which she can obtain a waiver from the juvenile court. This procedure also ensures that an abusive situation is brought to the attention of Child Protective Services so the problem can be addressed, not covered up with a secret abortion. Though the opposition claims the judicial bypass procedure is unworkable and unrealistic, the experience of other states shows that minors are able to use the system, and about 10 percent of them do so.

Fortunately, most parents aren't abusive, and most girls aren't scared of a violent or extreme reaction by their parents. By far, the most common reason given by girls for not telling a parent is that they didn't want to hurt or disappoint them. That's understandable. What's not understandable is why we would let a young girl's wish not to disappoint her parents override what common sense tells us is good medical practice and sound public policy.

Opponents claim that Prop. 85 is an attack on abortion rights, as if abortion was one big package, take it or leave it ---- parents left in the dark, incompetent doctors, sexual predators and all. Prop. 85 on its face specifically prohibits it from being used to restrict abortion in any other way. "Protect choice" is just something the opposition shouts over its shoulder as it's running away from the real issue: protecting our daughters.

Restore the right of California's parents to protect their minor daughters' well-being. Vote yes on Prop. 85. 

posted by Intussusception Medical Care Amateur - @ Intususseption: Yes on Prop. 85: Minors need protection, guidance