Texas Abortion Parental Consent Law Passes
Florida Abortion Parental Notification Law Finally Passes
Congress Holds Line on Military Abortions
“95-10” Initiative
TX ABORTION PARENTAL CONSENT LAW PASSES – A bill requiring abortionists to obtain the written consent of a parent before performing an abortion on a minor girl passed the Texas Senate [27May] by a bipartisan vote of 23-7. The bill, backed by over 40 pro-life & pro-family organizations, now goes before Gov. Perry who has pledged his support for it.
“The parents of Texas are the clear winners,” said Kyleen Wright [pres, Texans for Life Coalition]. “We are grateful to see this popular, common-sense legislation passed, and expect that teen pregnancy, births and abortions will decrease significantly as a result.”
According to a 10/04 Scripps-Howard Texas poll, 81% of Texans support parental consent. [LifeSiteNews.com, 27May05]
FL PARENTAL NOTIFICATION LAW FINALLY PASSES After nearly 2 decades of wrangling, a parental notification law, requiring that physicians inform parents that their minor daughter is scheduled for an abortion, was signed 26May by Gov. Jeb Bush, effective July 1.
Since 1989, it has been struck down twice by the FL courts, and vetoed once by former Governor Lawton Chiles. Both claimed that the law violated a state constitutional privacy clause. A constitutional amendment making an exception to the privacy clause was passed by a 65-35 margin by FL voters 11/04.
During the most recent reading of the bill the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and abortion provider Planned Parenthood [PP] made a last ditch effort to put a stop to the law, hoping to overturn the vote on the constitutional amendment. Exec dir of PP Grutman justified their efforts, claiming government cant mandate good effective family communication. The FL Supreme Court threw out their motion.
Speaking about the law, Governor Jeb Bush stated Before a child undergoes a surgical procedure of any kind, it is imperative that the parent or guardian is properly notified. This not only ensures the safety of our children, but also strengthens the family unit by maintaining open dialogue between parent and child.
The law requires that the parents or guardians of girls 17 and younger are notified by phone at least 48 hours in advance, or by mail, at least 72 hours in advance. The law provides for 5 different exceptions, including medical emergency.
Similar laws exist in 44 states, although many of the states do not strictly enforce them. [LifeSiteNews.com, 27May05]
PERSISTENCE DOESNT PAY OFF IN CONGRESSWOMENS ATTEMPT TO PERMIT MILITARY ABORTIONS The latest attempt by 3 CA Congresswomen to overturn a restriction on abortions at military bases has ended the same way it has every year since 1996 in failure. The motion, brought forward by Davis [San Diego], Harman [Venice], and Sanchez [Santa Ana], was defeated yet again in the House on 25May05 by a 233-194 vote.
Physicians at military hospitals are not permitted to perform abortions, even if the mother of the child pays for the abortion herself.
Exceptions are made in cases where the abortion will save the life of the mother, or instances of rape or incest. However, even in these cases the military doesnt fund the procedure. Davis argued against the restriction saying We ask women to put their lives at risk for our freedom, so why is it we do not support them when they require safe and legal medical services?
Rep Jim Ryun [KS] responded: Allowing self-funded abortions will simply turn our military hospitals overseas into abortion clinics. Retired
Army Sgt. Pauline Keehn, who is otherwise in favor of what she calls abortion rights, has sounded off on previous debates about the issue, explaining “There are enough problems already surrounding the issue of pregnancy and its effect on deployment. Add the equation of those who choose abortion, and you have a logistical nightmare waiting to happen.”
Two other amendments were brought to the House floor: Shays Amendment called for military funding for abortions in the case of rape or incest; Michaud Amendment called for the abortifacient morning-after pill to be made available on military bases and to be funded by the military benefits plan. Both amendments were stopped before a vote. [LifeSiteNews.com, 27May05]
CA SAME-SEX MARRIAGE The bill seeking to legalize same-sex marriage in CA died 2June in the State Assembly, after failing to garner a majority. Several Democrats sided with Republicans in opposing the bill or abstained from the vote. The legislation would have deleted “a man and a woman” from CA’s marriage laws, thus requiring same-sex “marriage” licenses to be issued in every county in the state. [SACRAMENTO, June 3, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com)
95-10 INITIATIVE is a package presented recently at a press conference in D.C. by pro-life Democrats which contains numerous legislative proposals aimed at reducing the number of abortions by 95% in the next 10 years. It is exciting to know that some Democratic leadership is at least considering helping women find alternatives to abortion. [PFL, 3Jun05]