Once again, anti-choice proponents who would seek to overturn Roe v. Wade have an initiative on the California ballot that if passed would be a serious blow to women's reproductive rights. The last time around I worked hard to make sure this measure didn't pass and even created a successful blog action around it. If you feel inclined to blog about this issue, let me know in the comments below and I will link your post.
This issue is not just about California. This proposition should
concern everyone who cares about women's reproductive rights. The
people who are trying to pass this proposition see it as a stepping
stone to making it mandatory for teens to have to ask their parents'
permission to obtain birth control. To overturning Roe v. Wade. If
these issues are of concern to you, if you'd like to government to stay
out of your uterus, please read this. Your state could be next.
The last time this proposition was on the ballot (two years ago when
it was known as Prop. 85), I participated in a conference call with
Margaret
Crosby, an attorney for the ACLU who has been on the front lines of
women's rights issues for the past thirty years. She shared with me and
the other bloggers in attendance, some startling facts about the
proposition
and what would happen if it were enacted. The following is my write-up
of the call. (Note: Any inaccuracies should be attributed to my poor
note taking skills and not to anything Ms. Crosby said.)
This post is directed at "the choir." Those of you who live in
California who
support choice and who want to protect vulnerable teens. If you are
anti-choice, I know that I am not going to change your mind on the
issue just as you aren't going to change mine. We can debate in the
comments all you want, but really, today, I don't feel much like
battling. I know where I stand, what I believe in, the kind of country
I'd like to live in, the kind of future I'd like to shape for my
daughters.
Prop. 4 would prohibit abortions for California teens until 48 hours after their parents have been notified.
First and foremost, according to Ms. Crosby, know that the people
who support Prop. 4 have proposed this measure as a way of restricting access to abortion by playing on our legitimate fears. Fear of sexual predators, rape, abuse, and incest.
They talk about protecting teens, but if this proposition passes, in reality, our most vulnerable teens are at risk.
If this proposition passes, it will take effect in early 2009.
Pregnant teens will go to the doctor and by then the government is
supposed to have forms printed that say, "Your daughter is pregnant and
wants to have an abortion." Then forms are then supposed to be either
1) hand-delivered by the doctor to the parents or 2) sent by certified
or first class mail. The teen must then wait a further 48 hours to have
an abortion, and the postmark is when the 48 hours begins. (By noon of
the 2nd day, 48 hours later.) Realistic? What do you think?
Let's talk about what happens if a teenager gets pregnant.
As an anonymous commenter on my last post about this asked:
so, you're saying that if bunny or wallie got pregnant at age 15, you
couldn't care less that they kept it to themselves and went and aborted
it without telling you a thing? Mmmkay..
Well,
first, that scenario is presuming a lot about my family culture, but
let's use that comment to kick off the discussion of what happens when
a teen does become pregnant. Will she turn to her parents and under
what circumstances? In the best case scenario, parents have long-established an
environment of caring, loving, open, honest, respectful communication
and support with their children. In this situation the teen is likely
to turn to her parents or a trusted older adult. They might be shocked,
but would be supportive of whatever the
best situation for their daughter would be. They would provide this
support in a loving environment.
Statistics indicate that 60% of the time, older teens do involve
their parents in this situation and it raises to 90% for younger teens.
If teens already involve their parents or trusted elder, why have a law
mandating family communication? And if teens aren't turning to their
parents, they probably have a good reason. But I am getting ahead of
myself.
So why would a teen not turn to her parents? Ms. Crosby describes
of spectrum of scenarios. The first and most benign is that perhaps her
parents have unusually high expectations for their child. A pregnancy
would shatter those expectations. Next on the spectrum is parents that have rigid views. A teen
pregnancy could foment a forced marriage or the teen could be forced to
have the baby. Next might be a family that is in crisis: Mom just got a breast
cancer diagnosis, there is job loss, mental illness, alcoholism, or
drug addiction. And, finally, the last step on the spectrum, a family that is truly
dysfunctional where there is domestic violence or abuse. A teen
revealing a pregnancy in this situation could be the red flag that
triggers more violence.
Again, to those that say, "What parent wouldn't want to know about a
daughter's pregancy?" I respond, that is exactly the question you
should be asking. Yes, what parent wouldn't want to know. I would want
to know and I would hope that my daughter would tell me if she were in
that situation. You have to take the question one step further and ask
yourself, "WHY WOULDN'T A TEEN WANT TO TELL HER PARENTS?"
