WASHINGTON (Feb. 9) - - The right of parents to be involved in a
daughter's decision regarding abortion would enjoy increased protection
under a new bill being introduced in Congress, with the backing of the National
Right to Life Committee (NRLC).
The new bill, called the "Child Custody Protection Act," would
make it a federal offense to transport a girl of age 17 or under across
a state line to obtain an abortion, if this action would circumvent a state
law requiring involvement of a parent or judge in the girl's abortion decision.
Senator Spencer Abraham (R-Mi.) and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fl.)
plan to introduce the bill in the Senate and the House, respectively, on
or about February 12.
The impending introduction of the bill was first announced by NRLC at a
Washington, D.C., press conference on January 22, the anniversary of the
Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling. (See
"Right-to-Life Congressional Priorities for 1998".)
Currently, 22 states have laws in effect that require the notification of,
or consent by, at least one parent (or authorization by a judge) before
an abortion can be performed on those below the age designated by the state.
However, some of these laws are frequently circumvented by adults who transport
minors to abortion providers in neighboring states that do not have parental
involvement laws.
NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson noted that some abortionists use
the lack of parental involvement requirements in their own states as a "selling
point" in advertising directed at minors in neighboring states that
have parental involvement requirements. For example, he said, some Yellow
Pages directories in Pennsylvania - - which has a parental consent law -
- carry display ads from abortion clinics in New Jersey and Maryland which
proclaim that "No Parental Consent" is required in those states.
Pro-abortion groups have argued that adults have a right, under Roe v.
Wade, to transport minors across state lines to receive abortions without
a parent's knowledge or consent. For example, Kathryn Kolbert, representing
the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy in New York, said that adults
engage in such activity "thousands" of times, and asked, "How
does a 14-year-old get to New Hampshire from Boston without getting a ride?"
(Associated Press, Sept. 16, 1995.)
NRLC's Johnson commented, "Congress should reject the bizarre notion
that any adult stranger has the right to take one's 14-year-old daughter
to a different state for a secret
abortion, even when the state legislature has passed a law that explicitly
requires a parent or judge to be involved in that decision. Often, these
attempts to evade parental notification and consent laws are also attempts
to conceal criminal activity, such as statutory rape."
In a written statement distributed at the January 22 press conference, Sen.
Abraham said, "Children must receive parental consent for even minor
surgical procedures. Abortion's profound, lasting effects demand that we
help states guarantee parental involvement in that decision. At a minimum,
we must prevent outside parties from circumventing parental notification
and consent laws."
Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen said in a written statement that the bill "will
help to protect state parental involvement laws and make a clear statement
against those who would try to circumvent state laws and interfere with
the parent/child relationship."
Upcoming issues of National Right to Life News will contain additional
information on what you can do to foster enactment of the Child Custody
Protection Act.