No on Prop 4

No on Prop 4

No ON PROP 4

Those who oppose proposition 4 believe that this is a ballot measure which would endanger teens by mandating parental notification 48 hours in advance of a minor terminating a pregnancy. Parents have the right to want to be involved in their teenagers’ lives, and most teens will go to their parents in the case of an unintended pregnancy. However, in the real world, parental notification laws can’t force family communication.
Proposition 4 creates dangerous barriers for a vulnerable teen choosing to reach out to a trusted adult such as a grandma or aunt for support. Prop 4’s “alternative family member notification” is not about “family involvement”. Family notification is nothing more than a generic letter sent to another relative who may not live in the same town or state. There is no requirement for counseling and no requirement that the notified adult help her when she needs it. A scared pregnant teen can already go to a trusted adult, but this law would eliminate that option to her due to the fact that under prop 4, if the teen goes to another adult, her parents would be automatically reported to authorities and an investigation would take place.
Supporters of Prop 4 supposedly named this law after a young teen “Sarah” who dies of the tragic consequences of a botched abortion. Those against Proposition 4 say that there is in fact, no “Sarah”. Her real name is Jammie Garcia Yanez-Villegas and was a married mother from Texas. Propostion 4 would not have prevented her death in any way. San Jose Mercury News called Prop 4 “the most deceptive measure on California’s ballot this fall.”

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