Parents, Look the Other Way!

Abortion is a topic that is widely debatable on a number of levels. Traditional conservatives argue that it defies the right of human life, while liberals opt for the right to choose concerning that life. The terms "Pro-Life" and "Pro-Choice" stem from these arguments. Pro Life illustrates the recrimination that abortion is murder; Pro-Choice beliefs are that any female that is able to bear a child should have the right to terminate the pregnancy at any time. These fundamental arguments have created a maelstrom of controversy for Proposition 85.

Proposition 85 proposes that doctors who will perform abortions on underage females will be required to first notify the parents of said teenager, then allow for a 48 hour "cooling-off period". A similar proposition, Proposition 73, was on the ballot for the special election held by Governor Schwarzenegger in November of 2005. This proposition would have required getting parental consent before performing an abortion. Proposition 73, while not as ideal in concept as Proposition 85, still held promise for lowering the rate of abortions performed; however, it did not pass on the ballot. Similarly, Proposition 85 did not pass (though the margin was close). Were the American people more educated regarding the position of this proposition, the results would have been much different. Proposition 85 is an ideal solution to the abortion epidemic; though it did not pass on the 2006 ballot, it should be repositioned in the next election with a higher priority level.