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Hood River News Editorial
October 25, 2006
On the surface, Measure 43 seems like a sound idea.
Require parental notification to parents of young women 16 and under
who seek abortions. Clinically, it makes sense to require parents to
be involved in the decision over a serious medical procedure such as
this.
But voters should say no to Measure 43. There are larger
considerations affecting young women who face this difficult decision.
Let us be clear: no one wishes for anyone to have an abortion. Nor is
a no vote on 43 an endorsement of the practice. And while the rate of
abortions among women 20 and under is greater than among women between
20 and 40, the rate of 20-and-under abortions has not gone up in
recent years, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Measure 43 is a solution looking for a problem.
The national teen pregnancy rate (aged 15-19) declined 36 percent
between 1990 and 2002. The U.S. teen birth rate is at a record low
(41.1 births per 1,000 women aged 15-19, down from 61.8 births in
1991). The teen pregnancy rate in 2002 was 74.5 pregnancies per 1,000
women aged 15-19, down from its peak in 1990 of 116.9, according to
The National Campaign Against Teen Pregnancy,
Between 1991 and 2004, the teen birth rate has declined for all
racial/ethnic groups, including 21 percent for Hispanics, 38 percent
for non-Hispanic whites, and 47 percent for non-Hispanic blacks.
Furthermore, Measure 43 tries to legislate family behavior.
Abortion providers encourage teenagers to tell a parent or another
important family member about their plans, and most teens do.
When teens know that health care providers are forced by law to tell
their parents before providing services, they are less willing to get
health care related to sexual activity.
A girl’s pregnancy might be the result or manifestation of family
behavior: alcoholism, emotional or physical abuse, or incest. To
involve such parents by way of a form letter could invite further
abuse.
The American Association of University Women state in their Voters
Pamphlet argument against Measure 43, “Under Measure 43 a victim of
incest will become a victim a second time, when she is pushed away
from the support and help she needs.”
Measure 43 proponents point out that a “judicial bypass” clause gives
teens an opportunity for confidential review (without parents present)
of their reason for requesting an abortion. But the bypass is more of
a roadblock for most teens. Going to court is usually intimidating to
even most adults, and even in the presence of an attorney.
As the League of Women Voters note in the Voters Pamphlet: “the
administrative and court procedures, specified by Measure 43 to avoid
a certified letter being sent to parents, are too complex for most
teenagers to follow.”
Also worth considering is the argument in the pamphlet by four pastors
from Portland and Medford, who state, “We understand that every family
is different, with their own challenges and problems, imposing a
one-size-fits-all government mandate will not help teens from troubled
homes.”
Abortion truly can have terrible consequences, but there is another,
greater threat to teenage girls’ lives — alcohol.
Thirty-four percent of 8th-grade girls reported drinking alcohol in
the last month, compared to 30 percent of 8th grade boys, according to
the annual Oregon Healthy Teens Survey.
“The statistics reveal the extent of what can rightly be called a
public health crisis in our state,” said Judy Cushing, President/CEO
of Oregon Partnership, a non-profit organization providing substance
abuse prevention education and treatment referral.
According to national research, adolescents who start drinking before
the age of 15 are four times more likely to become dependent on
alcohol than those who begin drinking at 21.
Oregon Partnership has recently launched its “Face it, Parents” media
campaign —funded by the Oregon Department of Human Services — which
encourages adults to be pro-active with their children about the
realities of underage drinking.
That is the approach that parents should take — and indeed most do —
for preventing teen pregnancy and ensuring daughters make the right
choices about sexuality. A healthy, if difficult, series of
conversations with boys and girls, starting at the dawn of
adolescence, is the key to preventing any need for abortion, not a
heavy-handed ballot measure.
Homing In
Praising HRVHS flights of fancy
Ever wanted a bird’s-eye view of a parade?
TV cameras at Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade have it, and so do the
“doves” released over the Hood River Valley High School Homecoming
parade last week.
About those birds: they are actually homing pigeons, pure white in
color, owned by the family of a member of the junior class, whose
float read “We Come In Peace.”
A wonderful sentiment, and humorously delivered with students dressed
up as friendly robots. The birds the students released, with a
flourish, went home right after the parade — unlike most students, who
gathered en masse at Jackson Park for earthbound frivolity.
The juniors’ float was not the only impressive one. See pages B1-2 for
more on Homecoming events last week. We believe our photos help
reflect what students at HRVHS displayed during the parade, Air
Guitar, the dance and other Homecoming events: team-work, deep
creativity, and well-engineered flights of fancy. |
