Re: your Oct. 13 article, "Parental notice for abortion on ballot again":
Amy Moy, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood, claims that Proposition 4 would put teens at "risk" of "delayed care and counseling" and this "potentially" endangers a girl's health. This is simply not true.
In all the states that have notification laws, not one instance of a girl being hurt from delayed care has been found. Look at the voters guide that explains the pros and cons of every proposition. Proposition 4 will rescue many girls from being abused by adult men who can no longer take them for a secret abortion. Planned Parenthood could not find one instance of harm to girls in 34 states from notification laws! Sadly, Planned Parenthood is far more concerned about the potential loss it will have in revenues if girls cannot be taken for secret abortions.
Proposition 4 simply requires that abortion providers notify a family member when a girl under the age of 18 is going to have an abortion. It is common sense that a minor should not go through a major medical procedure such as abortion alone. Thirty-four states have notification laws like Proposition 4, and they have experienced a decline in abortion rates, teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases without a single case of harm or danger to minors. California minor girls will benefit greatly from Proposition 4.
Law enforcement -- including Tony Rackauckas, chief prosecutor of Orange County, and Rod Pacheco, chief prosecutor of Riverside County -- supports Proposition 4 because it will help protect minor girls from abuse by predators who will no longer have the benefit of secret abortions for their victims.
We need Proposition 4 in California to protect girls from sexual abuse cover-up and from health risks of secret abortions. Don't let Planned Parenthood fool you.
-- Mary Rollino, Ventura