Medical Groups Declare IP 51 Unsafe, Unrealistic, and Unworkable
As signatures were submitted for IP 51 today, members of the No on Initiative Petition 51 continued their public dialogue about the risks of this ballot measure that would change Oregon law to require mandatory written notification if older teens 15, 16, or 17 years of age seek an abortion. There are no exceptions for rape and incest and doctors could be sued if the parent doesn’t get the notification letter.
“Every parent hopes their teen will confide in them. But we can’t mandate good parent-teen communication through a ballot measure. This measure creates an unrealistic and unworkable process for teens in crisis, and it’s the wrong solution for Oregon,” stated Kathryn Firestone, Past President of the PTA and opponent of Initiative Petition 51.
Leading medical organizations such as the Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists oppose mandatory parental notification laws because they often have unintended, negative consequences for teenagers.
“This measure isn’t written for the real world. Not every child is raised in a stable, healthy household. Requiring notice to the very people who may be responsible for the assault makes a bad situation worse. Troubled teens at risk need a counselor or a doctor, not a judge, and not a notice in the mail to the abusive parent, stated Nancy Bennett, Vice-President of Public Affairs with Planned Parenthood and spokesperson for the No on Initiative Petition 51 Committee.
“We know what has proven most effective in keeping teens safe when it comes to reproductive health -- and that is education and counseling. In fact, teen pregnancy in Oregon has declined 39% over the past ten years. Unworkable, bureaucratic measures such as IP 51 that mandate a one size fits all approach have been rejected by Oregon voters,” stated Bennett.
Oregon voters have twice defeated other parental notification measures. In 1990, voters rejected a similar measure by a vote of 52% to 48%. More recently, voters in Columbia County overwhelmingly defeated a broadly worded parental notification measure.
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