QUOTE
Abortion measure to be on ballot
Proposed constitutional amendment would place restrictions on minors.
By Gary Delsohn -- Bee Capitol Bureau
May 17, 2005
A proposed constitutional amendment making it harder for minors to get abortions has qualified for the next election ballot, the secretary of state's office announced Monday.
The measure would prohibit abortions on unemancipated minors until 48 hours after an abortion provider notified the minor's parents or legal guardian. There would be possible civil fines for failing to do so.
Exceptions could be made in medical emergencies or with parental waivers. A minor would also be able to get a judicial waiver if she could prove the abortion was in her best interest.
Supporters have said the measure is necessary to make sure no one has an abortion who is not emotionally equipped to deal with the ramifications. Groups such as Planned Parenthood of California and the national Feminist Majority Foundation have said the initiative will lead to unsafe abortions and is an inappropriate governmental intrusion into families' private lives.
The measure was the first of eight initiatives to qualify for a potential special election this fall.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said he will call a special election for November if he's unable to reach agreement with Democrats in the Legislature on three other initiatives he has proposed.
Schwarzenegger has said he favors the general idea of parental notification before minors could get abortions, but he has not spoken out on this specific measure.
Secretary of State Bruce McPherson said in a news release that the measure, which needed 598,105 registered voter signatures, qualified based on a random sampling of petition signatures.
The measure would require physicians to report all abortions performed on minors and for the state to track them statistically. The secretary of state's release said the initiative is sponsored by Paul and Barbara Laubacher of Sacramento, who are both registered nurses. They could not be reached for comment.
The signature-gathering effort was bankrolled largely by James Holman, a San Diego anti-abortion activist who is publisher of the San Diego Reader, a weekly newspaper. He has given at least $400,000 to the campaign, according to finance reports filed with the state.
Proposed constitutional amendment would place restrictions on minors.
By Gary Delsohn -- Bee Capitol Bureau
May 17, 2005
A proposed constitutional amendment making it harder for minors to get abortions has qualified for the next election ballot, the secretary of state's office announced Monday.
The measure would prohibit abortions on unemancipated minors until 48 hours after an abortion provider notified the minor's parents or legal guardian. There would be possible civil fines for failing to do so.
Exceptions could be made in medical emergencies or with parental waivers. A minor would also be able to get a judicial waiver if she could prove the abortion was in her best interest.
Supporters have said the measure is necessary to make sure no one has an abortion who is not emotionally equipped to deal with the ramifications. Groups such as Planned Parenthood of California and the national Feminist Majority Foundation have said the initiative will lead to unsafe abortions and is an inappropriate governmental intrusion into families' private lives.
The measure was the first of eight initiatives to qualify for a potential special election this fall.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said he will call a special election for November if he's unable to reach agreement with Democrats in the Legislature on three other initiatives he has proposed.
Schwarzenegger has said he favors the general idea of parental notification before minors could get abortions, but he has not spoken out on this specific measure.
Secretary of State Bruce McPherson said in a news release that the measure, which needed 598,105 registered voter signatures, qualified based on a random sampling of petition signatures.
The measure would require physicians to report all abortions performed on minors and for the state to track them statistically. The secretary of state's release said the initiative is sponsored by Paul and Barbara Laubacher of Sacramento, who are both registered nurses. They could not be reached for comment.
The signature-gathering effort was bankrolled largely by James Holman, a San Diego anti-abortion activist who is publisher of the San Diego Reader, a weekly newspaper. He has given at least $400,000 to the campaign, according to finance reports filed with the state.
