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September 19, 2005

Why the Anti-Parent rhetoric?

I swear I'm so tired of the abortion debate I want to drive the lot of screamers into the ocean. It causes normally sane people to go idiotic (hell, one male blogger I usually respect went all shrill and hysterical on me a few months back because I would NOT agree that having an abortion to avoid saggy boobs was a legitimate moral position). It causes people already emotionally involved in the debate to take to the trenches and toss grenades at each other and adopt a take-no-prisoners attitude.

Sunday I gave the NYTimes 70's retread a few lines. But it seems to have started yet another exercise or three in going after Parental notification laws.

Let me make myself clear. I support the legality of abortion at the sole discretion of an adult woman, of sound mind, within the first trimester. I will argue that the majority of such abortions are, indeed, immoral, but I believe they should remain legal. Just as I would argue that vast majority of cases of adulterous behavior is immoral, but not the province of the government.

But when it comes to minor girls and abortion, then the law must assume, like it does with any OTHER medical procedure, that a girl's parents have primary responsibility for her and all information concerning her medical condition is to be provided to them, without delay or condition, unless extenuating circumstances arise.

Period. This statement

We're not really debating parental control so much as a girl's right to abort regardless of age.
is hogwash. Does a girl have the right to a boob job regardless of age? How about a tummy tuck? Eyebrow piercing? Collegen injections? Just what other medical procedure is a minor girl entitled to by right without her parents knowledge?

I'm not talking here about parents withholding cancer treatment or life-saving transfusions ... and the law DOES have options where a parent's wishes in these regards can be overruled in a life-threatening situation.

But a girl contemplating an abortion is not in immediate danger of dying.

The vast majority of the time, the parents are not the girl's enemy. However, those adamently opposed to even the most modest and reasonable of parental notification laws paint a gaudy picture of a land dominated by abusive parents ready to pummel a little girl into a bloody mess.

Yes, teens generally hate to disappoint their parents. That's why schools mail home report cards. Is it a failure of parents that their teens may be reluctant to share bad news? Would such a typical response of teens justify a school refusing to tell parents how their child is doing with their studies?

Then why is a school allowed to let a young girl-child go off campus during school hours to have an abortion without her parents knowledge?

And not the least of it -- a significant amount of girls are impregnated by men three years or more older than them. Oppostion to parental notification laws enable these men to avoid legal responsibility.

I would like to believe that those adamently opposed to parental laws under any circumstance are just ignorant of such facts.

Posted by Darleen at September 19, 2005 09:03 PM

Comments

Wow, what a great post! You've captured how I feel about the abortion issue. Legal abortion for adult women during the first trimester may be a necessary evil. For minor girls, contrary to how many teachers and public welfare professionals, their parents must be involved in the decision. We are NOT the enemies of our daughters!

Posted by: March Hare at September 21, 2005 07:01 AM

An interesting alignment of Prop 73 parental notification) 75 (union dues) and child abuse notification.

It was CTA that supported NON Parental notification. They did it using MY money, taken against my will.

1. Prop 73, when I tell people that 13-14 year old girls are taken off campus by the school while their parents think they are in class to have abortions they call me a liar. They say, "Girls can't get a tylenol for their period, there is no way the school would take them for an abortion, during class."

2. Several of my students are "Peer Counselors" they confirm that, "Oh yes the school can and DOES this all the time."

3. Teachers are required to report child abuse, such a spankings, under threat of prosecution. The average underage girl getting an abortion is pregnant by an adult more than 4 years older than she. This is Statutory Rape. There are reports that Planned Parenthood tells the girls to lie and say they do not know who the father is. Planned Parenthood is not required to notify police of Statutory Rape but teachers are required to report spankings.

4. To be a liberal, you must believe that the same teacher who can't teach your daughter to read, is capable of making a BETTER decision about your daughter having an abortion than you and your spouse.

5. CTA is in the middle of this, do not let them deny it. I suggest that the next proposition on the ballot will be vouchers so that we can let our children escape from this union.

Posted by: JoeS at October 1, 2005 11:07 AM