ARTICLES
November/December2006 ARTICLES
Contents © 2006
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.
Cautiously Optimistic
Help Push Prop. 85 over Finish Line
Within days of when you read this story, history's largest election on parental notification -- Proposition 85 -- will be over.
Proposition 85 will require that a doctor notify at least one parent of an under-18-year-old girl before performing an abortion on the girl.
Latest polls show a razor-thin margin between the Yes and No sides of Proposition 85, the Parents' Right to Know and Child Protection ballot initiative. The results won't be known until the evening of Election Day, November 7.
A Field poll on August 2 showed Prop 85 losing 46-45 percent; a Datamar poll on September 18 showed Prop 85 winning 48-42 percent.
Prop 85 organizers point to the increasing involvement of churches this year. On October 1 Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles had a recording of a pro-85 message played in English and Spanish at the 300 parishes in the L. A. Archdiocese.
DVDs and other materials were mailed to 4,000 Southern Baptist, Assembly of God, Foursquare, and Calvary Chapel churches.
In the days remaining, campaign organizers were urging supporters to:
1. Urge friends, relatives, and neighbors to be sure they are registered to vote. October 23 is the last day to register to vote. Voting by mail (absentee voting) is available to any voter and can make it easier to be sure you vote. October 31 is the last day to apply for an absentee voter ballot.
2. Pass out Prop 85 flyers to friends, family, and neighbors. Flyers can be downloaded from www-YESon85.net or requested by calling toll-free (866-828-8355) or emailing Janet@YESon85.net.
3. Hold a fundraiser at your church, school, or neighborhood. This helps pay for advertising to get the YES on 85 message to a broad audience. Checks can be mailed to YES on 85, 1703 India St., San Diego, CA 92101 or donations can be easily made online at www.YESon85.net.
CARDINAL MAHONY'S MESSAGE
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As you may know, under current California law a minor girl under the age of 18 cannot leave school to go on a field trip, she cannot get a flu shot, a tooth pulled, or even an aspirin from the school nurse without one of her parents being notified.
Yet that same child -- a girl as young as 12 years old -- can be taken by a complete stranger to an abortion center, put under general anesthesia, and undergo a surgical or chemical abortion without her parents' knowledge or consent.
This is why I urge you to support, work for and vote YES on Proposition 85, the Parents' Right to Know and Child Protection Initiative, on Election Day, Tuesday, November 7th.
Proposition 85 requires a physician to notify at least one parent 48 hours before performing an abortion on a girl under 18 years old.
Parents have a duty to protect their own children. Engaged in the raising of their daughter, parents have insight into what is best for their children; they know her personal and medical history. Parents are the best ones to help a minor daughter understand all her options if she becomes pregnant. Without parental involvement, other influences can dominate.
Parental notification laws are desperately needed to protect young girls.
Here is another vital reason you and I should vote YES on Proposition 85 on November 7th: secret abortions on minors allow the exploitation of tens of thousands of vulnerable girls, leaving them physically and emotionally devastated.
More than thirty states now have parental notification or consent laws, and these states have seen a dramatic drop in teen abortions AND teen pregnancies as a result of this change in the law. Here in California, the Office of the Legislative Analyst estimates that parental notification would reduce the number of abortions [on under-18-year-old girls]in our state by 25% per year.
So please vote YES on Proposition 85 on November 7th. And please do all you can to promote this crucial measure, and urge your family, friends and neighbors to do the same.
I hope you will join with me in praying daily, from now until the November elections, that voters will strongly support Proposition 85.
Thank you, and may God bless you and your family!