Supporters and opponents of the controversial Proposition 73
both waited with bated breath Tuesday night, as vote counts for the
passage or rejection of the statewide special election measure were
extremely close.
The proposition, if passed, would require physicians to notify a
minor’s parent 48 hours before performing an abortion on her,
except in the case of a medical emergency that could put the
mother’s health in serious danger.
As of midnight Tuesday, 50.8 percent of voters rejected the
measure while 49.2 voted to pass it.
A clause in the proposition would also allow a minor to avoid
parental notification by proving to a judge in juvenile court a
level of maturity deemed sufficient to make the decision on her
own, or by demonstrating that notifying her parents would not be in
her best interest.
Physicians would also be required to report all abortions
performed on minors to the state, and the information would be
compiled for statistical purposes. Failure to comply with the
legislation would result in monetary damages for the offending
physician.
In an effort to require parental notification before allowing a
minor to undergo an abortion, supporters dubbed the proposition
“The Parents’ Right to Know Initiative” and
stressed the importance of parents’ involvement in a
minor’s decision to get an abortion.
Opponents of the proposition were optimistic that the
proposition would fail, but supporters were equally hopeful that it
would pass.
Although she realized the numbers were close, Karen England, a
volunteer for Parents for 73, was hopeful that the “rest (of
the voters) will stand for parents,” referring to the ballots
yet to be counted. She said if Proposition 73 were to pass, it
would be “a victory for parents.”
“It’s common sense. Parents should be included in
daughters’ medical procedures,” she said.
Alexis Flyer, a student volunteer with Women and Youth
Supporting Each Other, a group that works with middle school girls
on issues related to sex education, said if the proposition were to
pass, there “definitely will be a protest very soon
after.”
At 11 p.m. Tuesday, Mary-Jane Waglé, CEO of Planned
Parenthood Los Angeles, said she and her colleagues hoped the
proposition would be defeated, thereby demonstrating that
California parents and voters “took time to think carefully
and passionately on this issue.”
If the proposition is defeated, she said Planned Parenthood
would work with doctors, nurses and lawyers across the country to
assure that legislation like this would not be able to pass in any
other state.
But if it is passed, Waglé said Planned Parenthood would
work to make sure they “provide the best possible assistance
to those teens who can’t talk to their parents, so they can
work through the very complex judicial bypass process … (and) get
the care they need.”
Barron Sawyer, president of Bruins for Life, said the
proposition would be beneficial because “we can chip away at
the idea that abortion transcends every possible right in the
universe, including the rights of parents.”
With reports from Lindsey Morgan, Bruin
contributor.