An argument in favor of Measure 43
At 15 a girl can’t legally, smoke, drink, or even go to summer camp without her parent’s permission, but she can have an abortion. Is there something wrong here? For centuries, societies have set up guidelines for when a person becomes an adult and can make their own decisions. In the United States, our age of adulthood is 18. Yet, ironically enough, a minor between the ages of 15 and 17 can legally get an abortion without parental consent. Measure 43 is an attempt to change this. A yes vote will mean that before a girl aged 15-17 can receive an abortion, her parents must be notified by those performing the abortion. This measure is liberal in that it does not require the parent’s approval, just notification 48 hours before the procedure. If the growing up age in our country is 18, why are we letting 15-, 16- and 17-year-old girls make huge decisions without their parents help? This is a crucial time in their life. These girls are scared, hurting and on an emotional roller coaster. How can we now put the burden on them to decide on their own who they are going to listen to and what they’re going to do? In the case of a 15-year-old, we don’t trust them enough to give them their drivers license, but when they get pregnant we suddenly say, “You need your privacy. Make your own decision.” Have you ever wondered if maybe, deep down, they didn’t even want that privacy, but couldn’t bring themselves to tell their parents what they’ve done? Sometimes when you remove barriers, you actually give burdens that were never meant to be carried. You can argue that this isn’t true of everyone. Some girls are 16 and have been taking care of themselves and making their own decisions for a long time because their parents just don’t care. However, these girls still can’t buy alcohol and cigarettes no matter how responsible they are. Why do we make the standard different when it comes to an invasive medical procedure? And then she is living with it. What if she has emotional problems? What if she has medical complications? Her family doesn’t know, so how can they support her? If you complain about the breakdown in the family, and how some parents are not supportive enough to deserve notification, the question that arises is: Is it the government’s responsibility to take that power from a parent? Occasionally they do, through emancipation, but in other cases, a family is a family. Laws that strip parents of responsibility are not going to solve the problem of family breakdown. What about those parents that do “deserve” to know, because they will actually support their daughter? Are you going to take their rights away because other parents are un-deserving? This law excludes having to notify parents in the case of a documented medical emergency, and also includes a clause that a minor can request a confidential court hearing where a judge can grant permission for an abortion without parental notice. This is for cases when a girl feels she will suffer abuse if her parents find out she is pregnant. In this case, it still takes several extra days for permission for the abortion. In this time, hopefully she will think more about her decision and make the right one. Would you want your 15-, 16-, 17-year-old, sister, daughter, granddaughter making this decision without advice? If your answer is no, then vote yes on Measure 43
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