Girls Matter: Legislation that could Affect a Girl Near You

Here’s something to think about: Do all parents have the right to know everything about their children? Should the government require candor in the parent-child relationship? Do you have an emotional response to the abortion debate?

These questions are worth answering when considering S 403, a Senate bill that makes it a federal crime for an adult to take a minor girl across state lines to get an abortion without parental consent.

The Child Custody Protection Act passed 65-34 on July 25, 2006. The vote was split along party lines except for four Republicans who voted against the bill, including Lincoln Chafee (Rhode Island), Susan Collins (Maine), Olympia Snowe (Maine), and Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania). Fourteen Democrats voted for it, including Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. Diane Feinstein did not vote.

At issue are parental consent, teenage girls’ rights, and Congressional strategy.

Arguments about parental consent

Those in favor of the bill argue that parental notification is needed for field trips and medication, so absolutely it should be required for an abortion.

Those opposed say that it’s not that simple, that teen girls are often terrified of telling their parents that they’re pregnant and would rather seek alternatives to safe, legal abortions such as illegal abortions and forced miscarriages. Further, opponents worry about abuse victims, especially if the abusers are the parents.

But Democrats and Republicans were able to reach a compromise on pregnancies resulting from incest. John Ensign (R- Nevada), sponsor of the bill, and Barbara Boxer (D-California) agreed to exempt adults who aide incest victims. The compromise also stops fathers or other relatives who commit incest from forcing teen girls to have an abortion.

But those opposed to the legislation argue that incest is not the only form of abuse. Fears of physical and verbal abuse, being thrown out of the house, and cut off from family members prevent girls from telling their parents as well.

The issue hinges on what parents have the right to know, as well as the girls’ rights when they have abusive parents.

Girls’ rights/ women’s rights

How are girls’ rights different from women’s rights? What does it mean for girls when the legal adult age is several years past the biological adult age?

Although the bill centers on parental consent, emotionally-charged arguments over abortion surface in any abortion debate.

As we know, abortion is a hotly contested issue that people on both sides are passionate about. The controversy over this bill is a clash of deep-rooted personal philosophies.

Those who are opposed to abortion rights often believe that birth begins at conception and that the fetus should be protected as would any citizen of this country. They find the various medical procedures that are performed during an abortion to be inhumane.

Those who want to protect abortion rights are also worried about women’s rights. They feel that this bill is an attempt to chip away at Roe v. Wade and that the government, which is primarily made up of men, is unjustly telling women what to do with their bodies and their lives.

Democrats call strategy

Democrats say that Republicans are bringing up abortion in order to energize their voter base before the November 2006 elections.

Republicans adopted the topic just two days after the Senate passed stem cell legislation opposed by some Republicans. And Democrats say that Republicans are trying to win over disgruntled party members four months before Election Day.

The House has passed a similar version of the bill, but it has not yet gone to conference committee, so there is still time to tell your representatives what you think.

Prevention?

The Senate voted, 48-51, to reject an amendment by Frank R. Lautenberg (D- New Jersey) that would have directed the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants to state and local governments as well as nonprofit groups to provide sex education about both abstinence and contraception.

Democrats say prevention should be a focus of the abortion argument since effective birth control would curtail abortion.

Democratic Senators Hillary Clinton (New York) and Patty Murray (Washington) are fighting for over-the-counter access of the "morning after" emergency birth control pill. The Food and Drug Administration has delayed its decision on the matter for three years, and the two women senators are blocking the confirmation of Andrew C. von Eschenbach, who was nominated to the FDA commissioner position, until the department rules one way or the other. For more on this, click here.

What do you think?

Should adults other than parents be able to aide teens who want an abortion? What about sisters, grandmothers, clergy? How should/shouldn’t the government regulate abortion? How do you understand parents’ rights? Girls’ rights?

Your input matters

Your representatives in Congress DO care what you think. Especially now -- 2006 is an election year and many representatives will be looking to reconnect with their constituents. Let your congressmen and women know what you think! Give your senators a piece of your mind! To find your reps, click here.

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Update Posted on: 8/5/2006