Senator Tim Leslie (R-Tahoe City) introduced Senate Constitutional Amendment 17 in late August in response to the State Supreme Court’s recent decision which struck down a state law requiring parental consent for abortion.
Ruling that the law violates a minor’s right to privacy, the Court rejected the state law enacted in 1988 that required minors to get a parent’s consent or judicial order before obtaining an abortion.
“The Court is wrong,” Leslie said. “This decision is a direct attack on parental authority and a belligerent display of judicial activism.”
“Parents have a right to know if their own children will be undergoing a medical procedure,” Leslie continued. “Any surgery carries with it the potential for complications, and parents must be made aware that their children may face such complications so that they are prepared to respond in an emergency situation.”
“Minors must obtain parental consent for a number of things, including school field trips, most medical and dental treatments, body piercing and tattooing,” Leslie said. “It is irrational and unconscionable that the high court would not require the same for a surgical procedure such as abortion.”
Leslie concluded, “It defies common sense to keep parents in the dark on issues that involve their own children’s health. Parental care and authority must be recognized, respected, and preserved by the State of California.”
SCA 17 will require a pregnant minor to secure permission from a parent, legal guardian, or judicial court before she can obtain an abortion.
Leslie was in San Diego in late September for a Parents Rights Forum hosted by the Adam Smith Institute.
