Closer Look: Parental Notification Likely Headed Back To California Ballot

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) - For the fourth time in seven years, California Voters will most likely have the opportunity to vote on whether or not a girl's parents should be notified if their young daughter is going to have an abortion.

Two 'Parental Notification' initiatives have begun to be circulated across the state. Proponents of the initiatives need a little more than 800,000 signatures per-initiative to qualify them for the November 2012 ballot.

Backers of such initiatives have said that it only makes sense that parents of girls under the age of 18 be told that their child is having an abortion.

"She can get her ears pierced under the age of 18 without parental approval but not body piercings. (She) can't go to a tanning booth if she is under 18, even with family approval. (She) can't get a tooth filled without family approval", said Dr. Raymond Dennehy of the University of San Francisco. "Suddenly she can get an abortion, which is a huge event."

Opponents of such legal measures have countered that, when it comes to the youngest of girls, a vast majority do tell their parents about their pregnancies. USF Law Professor Maya Manian and other opponents have said they believe that forcing a young woman to tell a parent often results in lack of prenatal care and other health issues.

"Parents understandably want to know if their daughter is pregnant. I am a mother of a daughter and I would want to know if she was in that situation," said Manian. Unfortunately, we don't live in an ideal world. Not every teenager has an ideal family. Not every teenager can safely talk about this with their parent or even has a parent in their lives to talk to."

Nearly three dozen states have enacted some form of 'Parental Consent.' The deadline for gathering signatures is June 11.

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