Urge Senators to Pass Parental Notification Legislation Soon

Action Alert!
Urge Senators to Pass Parental Notification Legislation Soon!

Please urge your two U.S. senators to press for fast approval of the Child Custody Protection Act (S. 403), a bill strongly supported by the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC).

Currently, about half of the states have laws that require notification or consent of a parent (or, at least, authorization from a court) before an abortion can be performed on a minor girl. However, these requirements are often circumvented when minors travel to neighboring states that have no parental notification laws. The Child Custody Protection Act (S. 403), sponsored by pro-life Senator John Ensign (R-Nv.), would curb such interstate evasion of parental notification requirements.

The Child Custody Protection Act could reach the U.S. Senate floor during the next couple of months--but there are many other bills competing for Senate floor time, so it is crucial that senators hear from constituents who want prompt action on this issue.

The House of Representatives has already approved its version of legislation to protect parental rights and the welfare of minor girls--the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA)--in April 2005. (See May 2005 NRL News, page 22.) Now the Senate must act, and soon, in order to set the stage for the final steps in the legislative process, after which the bill could be sent to President Bush for his signature.

In order to send appropriate e-mail messages to your two U.S. senators in support of the legislation (and to learn whether your senator has already cosponsored the bill), go to the Legislative Action Center at the NRLC web site, at http://www.capwiz.com/nrlc/home/.

(The Legislative Action Center also includes "scorecards" that show the voting records of all members of Congress on pro-life issues during the current Congress or other recent congresses.)

Also, you can also contact any senator's Washington office by telephone through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. When provided with the caller's zip code, the operator will transfer the call to the appropriate senator's office. Tell your senator's staff person that you support the Child Custody Protection Act (S. 403) and want to see it pass the Senate soon--and ask for a letter explaining the senator's position on the issue.

Please send a copy of any response you receive from a senator's office to the NRLC Federal Legislation Department at 512 10th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20004, or by fax to (202) 347-3668, or by e-mail at Legfederal@aol.com.

For further information, including information on the law in your state, visit the Parental Notification page on the NRLC web site, at http://www.nrlc.org/federal/ccpa/index.html.