Call, fax, write, or email California Assembly Health Committee members and urge them to oppose ACA 5. Enter your name, email address and zip code in the form below to automatically send the message to the committee members. Feel free to use our sample message, or use your own words. This legislation would require a minor to seek parental notification before obtaining an abortion. This bill is unnecessary and will endanger the lives of California's youth.
Surveys show that most teenagers do consult with parents when faced with unplanned pregnancies.
Confidentiality is essential for teens from abusive families who may have very good reasons for needing confidential abortion services. Mandating parental involvement for these teens can increase the health risk because of procedure delays and possible threats to their physical safety. Parental consent and notification laws do not convert abusive, dysfunctional families into stable and supportive ones. I strongly urge you to protect the health of California's young women by opposing AC5. In 1997, the California State Supreme Court ruled that a 1987 law requiring parental or judicial consent for abortion violated the California Constitution's right to privacy in American Academy of Pediatrics v. Lungren.