Contact: Sean McCabe at 703-683-5004 (ext. 110)
November 29, 2005
Washington, D.C. - Wendy E. Long, counsel to The Judicial Confirmation Network, today made the following statement on the challenge to a New Hampshire statute requiring minor girls to notify a parent before obtaining an abortion. The statute is under attack in Planned Parenthood v. Ayotte, being argued before the U.S. Supreme Court tomorrow.
"Pro-abortion extremists are now pushing for the far outer limits of abortion on demand, even for minor girls. They want the U.S. Supreme Court to ignore its own precedent and overturn laws enacted by overwhelming majorities in New Hampshire and other states. They want the Supreme Court to set up a wall of separation between children and their parents when it comes to abortion.
"The same liberal extremists who oppose Judge Alito are attacking the right and duty of parents to be involved in their children's lives, and they are putting children's health at risk. In New Hampshire, a girl cannot even get her ears pierced without parental consent - and the statute requires only parental notice for an abortion.
"Parental notification helps protect minor girls' health. Parents have critical information about the girl and her family medical history, and they need to be informed to properly care for her. There is virtually no medical condition that requires an immediate abortion in an abortion clinic. If a girl has a real medical emergency, she belongs in a hospital emergency room, not an abortion clinic, and her parents should be aware so they can help.
"The same left-wing groups who are attacking Judge Alito want the courts to override democracy and to override parents' role in taking care of their minor children. This is not something than mainstream America supports, which is why most Americans support judicial restraint and want Justices who will respect democracy and the integrity of families."
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