politricks and other distractions

The Thing About Parental Consent

Since my month away from blogging, I don't feel the need to scour the internet for photos to accompany the blogs. I'll try later, but I just don't got it now. And what kind of photo goes with this entry's title?

We have an initiative on the ballot here this fall that's a parental consent law. All the usual arguments pro- and con- are being made. The paper put both sides in today. I haven't read them yet but I know what they say. Abortion has always been an important issue in my life. There's no question for me whose choice it is.

So I was thinking back this weekend to all my friends who got pregnant in high school. Some told their parents. Some made sure they knew what they wanted to do before telling their parents. Others had abortions unbeknownst to mom and dad. And in every case, the kid chose correctly. The girls with abusive parents had the abortions. The ones with the open, loving parents told them - and sometimes still had the abortions.

Stop trying to force families to work. Even young women can tell when their family can handle news like this.

I always judge societal issues by the number of people I actually know who've been affected by whatever problem we're talking about (murder, robbery, rape, divorce, etc) and weigh the issue from there. Abortion - or unwanted pregnancy - is something that has affected almost everyone I know.

And the years of going through these stories with friends makes me know the evil of parental consent laws. We've said it before, we'll say it again: you can't legislate morality.

Please. Really. Stop trying.

posted by dcnative @ 9:23 PM