I challenge each of you to throw your ideological loyalties to the side and closely evaluate what this proposition means to your current and future families. Whether you are the most liberal student or a self-proclaimed libertarian, Proposition 73 may not be as ideologically polarizing as it may seem.
This proposition would require minor, to have a parental consent before terminating their pregnancy. This proposition would require abortionists to notify a minor patient’s parent 48 hours before the scheduled abortion. Even the pro-choice crowd should consider the benefits of having parents informed on an issue this sensitive.
I remember during PE class in middle school having to have a parent signature to sit out if I was sick, yet my future 13-year-old daughter could terminate a pregnancy without my knowledge. Doesn’t this seem like ridiculous priorities? Consider this: minors can’t go on field trips or be issued medicine at school without the consent of a parent. According to the California Parent’s Rights Web site, “Minors cannot be sentenced to death because they have poor or under-developed judgment, but they can unilaterally decide to have an abortion.”
Some day most of us will have children we will love and want to protect. Make sure to visit the polls on Tuesday and Vote YES on proposition 73.
Blake Bolton
Industrial and technical studies graduate student