By John-Henry Westen
BAKER, Oregon, November 8, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Voters in California and Oregon narrowly rejected measures to require that abortionists inform the parents of minors 48 hours prior to an abortion. In both states the measures were rejected by a vote of 54-46%.
Proponents of the measure argued that a girl as young as 12 can be taken from school for an abortion without her parents even knowing. “Child predators are taking advantage of this situation to cover up their crimes, including statutory rape,” said one campaign release.
Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, the California Teachers Association (CTA) spent over $3.1 million on deceptive television ads to defeat the California initiative. The “Bubble” TV ad which was broadcast in California included explicit lies as well as implicit and deliberate misrepresentations intended to confuse and deceive California voters into voting against Proposition 85, the Parents’ Right to Know and Child Protection Initiative.
Go to the HealthVote.com ‘Ad Watch’ for ad storyboards, analysis of, and viewing of the “Bubble” ad. ( https://www.healthvote.org/index.php/adwatch/C36/Â )
In the ad, an unseen man in a whispery, confidential voice claims that “Prop 85 would force girls to notify an abusive or violent parent that they are pregnant and this puts them in real danger.”
In fact, Prop 85 required, with several exceptions and waivers provided, that a doctor, at least 48 hours before performing the abortion, notify one parent or guardian of an unemancipated child, that their daughter intended to obtain an abortion. The initiative did not require any communication between the girl and even one parent.
Furthermore, the Planned Parenthood ad’s unequivocal statement that “Prop 85 would force girls to notify an abusive or violent parent . . .” was false since Prop 85 provided for several alternatives, exceptions, and waivers which would have allowed a minor girl to obtain an abortion without even one parent being notified.
See the text of Prop 85: https://www.voterguide.ss.ca.gov/pdf/prop85_text.pdfÂÂ
Fifteen states currently have parental notification laws while another 19 states have laws requiring parental consent for abortion.