85 Ensures Consistency in the Law
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When I turned eighteen a few months ago, a friend posed to me an interesting question: “Do you feel like an adult?” After briefly pausing, I had to answer no. After all, why should turning eighteen make me feel like an adult when for the last five years I have been sexually mature and capable of exercising my “most sacred” right as a woman without my parent’s knowledge or consent: my right to an abortion.
Like most teens, I always resented my parents telling me that I lacked the maturity and life experience to make important decisions. Much to my dismay, science had even proven that adolescent brains have not reached full maturity, and so even though fifteen year olds may be sexually mature, they are still prone to act impulsively. However, many teens seem to believe that sexual maturity indicates emotional and psychological maturity, and that they are therefore adult enough to decide whether or not to have sex. And for the most part, California legislators and citizens agree, though not to the extent that teens should be held responsible for their decisions.
Currently, should a minor become pregnant, the government allows her the option to receive an abortion without the consent or even notification of her parents. Although she cannot even get an in-grown toenail removed without parental permission, rest assured, she can freely undergo a major surgery that could endanger her life. Laws prohibit her from smoking or ordering a glass of wine at a restaurant. She cannot even attend an R-rated movie without adult supervision or join a gym without parental consent, and not until she turns eighteen can she vote. Why? Because we deem her incapable of thinking rationally and acting responsibly. She is too impressionable to be exposed to the pernicious influences of alcohol, tobacco, violence, and graphic sex and is too immature to determine how she feels about significant political issues. However, the moment she decides to have an abortion, she immediately becomes an independent and intelligent adult, capable of knowing what she thinks and how she feels.
This is the disconnect that Proposition 85 seeks to correct. The initiative, if passed, would require physicians to notify parents at least 48 hours before performing an abortion on a minor.
If the government and people are willing to accept that a teenage girl is mature enough to make the decision to have an abortion, then they should also recognize that she is responsible enough to take an aspirin at school when she has a headache, attend violent and lewd movies if she so desires, and buy a soda should the craving arise. However, until we relax our laws regarding such issues, we cannot support a minor’s unilateral decision to have an abortion.
Many detractors of Proposition 85 claim that many girls who fear their parents’ wrath will seek back-alley abortions regardless of the risks, and therefore maintaining the legality and accessibility of the procedure will at least ensure safety. Following that logic, why don’t we pass propositions to legalize drinking, marijuana, and R-rated movies for minors. It only makes sense that legalizing these things and making them more accessible to teens will only “improve their safety.” But alas, while many people have jumped on the first bandwagon, most do not seem willing to follow this second train of logic.
Proposition 85 is not just about morality or family values. As Bill Clinton might put it, it’s about consistency of the law, stupid.
