Discussing Abortion With Your Daughter

This is a piece I just wrote for my employer. For those of you who live in California, don't forget to vote on November 8th! And, if you're not registered to vote, you have up until two weeks before the election (because in California we like to make it easy for illegal residents to vote ... or people who procrastinate). So, go register!
______________________

Prop 73, a ballot initiative that would notify parents 48 hours before a minor child obtains an abortion, will be decided by California voters in just a few short weeks! Because Prop 73 will likely be determined by a narrow margin, both those who support and oppose this initiative are burning the midnight oil.

The latest tactic of Prop 73 opponents seems to be their contention that it would result in government “forcing communication” between parents and children. Keep in mind, there are exceptions built in Prop 73 that would exclude minors from being compelled to notify parents who are abusive.

This past week, State Treasurer Phil Angelides, who is running for the Democratic nomination for governor, said that although he talks to his three daughters about personal things he “can’t imagine compelling them to talk to me about this difficult subject.”

What is most alarming about Mr. Angelides' comments is that there are many parents out there who are just like him! There is nothing noble or dignified about taking a “hands-off” approach when your minor daughter (perhaps as young as age 12) decides to get an abortion. In fact, when an abortion is considered, this is a crucial time in a young girl’s life and she needs the support and counsel of the adults who know her best. In other words, her parents.

It is understandable that a young girl, when discovering her unplanned pregnancy, would be embarrassed to tell her parents and afraid to disappoint them. But, because a minor child – even in a “good home” – would not naturally turn to her parents in this situation, is precisely why the government should require parental notification.

Adults will be involved in a young girl’s decision to abort (e.g., an older boyfriend, a school guidance counselor, etc.). Parents simply deserve the courtesy of being one of those adults.

Interestingly, it is the liberals who are the ones who typically want to “save people from themselves.” It is the liberals who mandate bike helmets for minors and ban children from going to tanning salons. If ever there is an instance where a child needs to be saved from herself, it is when she contemplates an abortion. Her parents must be told. She is merely a child and, while she may be embarrassed and afraid, she must tell them so they can counsel her and help keep her safe. Tell the parents – she may not like it now but in the end, perhaps when she is a parent herself, she’ll see the sense of it.