I was reading the article by Brittany Ridley on the different propositions in the election; I spied something that I have witnessed time and again during this election. Ridley summarized Prop. 73 by saying it “would allow minors the right to have an abortion without parental consent.”
The problem with this statement is that Prop 73 did not do this. In California, parental consent is already not needed.
What Prop 73 intended to do was require parental notification, not consent, for a minor seeking abortion. This is where the problem lies.
People do not understand what they vote on during elections. People need to stop listening to commentators and reporters which can (and in this case do) portray propositions in the wrong light. Instead voters should pick up the information packet on the propositions given by the state government.
Within these packets, the actual laws are given as well as arguments written by opponents and proponents for the laws. It is within these packets that the true facts lie, not in newspapers and journals. People need to wake up, and take voting seriously by understanding the laws that they vote on.
Matthew Fritch
Physics senior