With all the to-do over the Republican vice-presidential nominee, a California initiative has not received the attention it should. I'm talking about Prop. 4.
Proposition 4 is an initiative that would change California's constitution so that parents must be notified before a girl terminates her pregnancy. At first blush, that sounds reasonable. But you cannot mandate good communication by legislation. In fact, if passed, Prop. 4 would put California's most vulnerable teen girls at greater risk than at present.
The formal title is "Waiting Period And Parental Notification Before Termination Of Minor’s Pregnancy."
(If you are thinking, "Didn't we vote on that already?", you're right. This is the third time that a group of wealthy businessmen, lead by San Diego's James Holman, have tried to pass legislation that puts teen girls' health at risk. You're remembering the 2005 election's Prop. 73 and the 2006 election's Prop. 85. It's estimated that Holman alone has spent more than $4.5 million on the three campaigns.)
This, the third version, has some particularly nasty twists, including onerous requirements for Child Protective Services reporting.
Learn more about why you should vote NO on Prop. for at the No on Proposition 4 campaign site. You can pledge to vote NO on Prop. 4. If you feel like supporting the No on Prop. 4 campaign, here's the secure donation web site.
And here's a list of Prop. 4's backers. Note that a few large donors are driving this campaign.
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