Psychological nightmare
The Idaho Legislature is a psychological nightmare. Talk
about a complex collection of contradictions.
As a body composed primarily of middle-class males, the Legislature is
peculiarly fixated on the bodies of teenage girls? It would fascinate Sigmund Freud.
For two years now, the Legislature has tried to enact a law that requires
parental consent before a teenage girl may receive an abortion. If for some reason
parental consent cannot be secured, the girl may seek court approval.
Former Idaho Gov. Phil Batt wisely vetoed such a bill.
Unlike his predecessor, Gov. Dirk Kempthorne has guaranteed the
Legislature he will sign a parental consent bill this year.
We dont get it.
With Senate Bill 1277, the same legislators who put Department of Health
and Welfare administrators through a special Budget Hell every year will put up roadblocks
that may force children to bear childreneven though its likely both mother and
child will end up on the states welfare rolls?
The same legislators who rail against federal control of federal lands
within Idaho will make it OK for the state to force its way into the privacy of the
family.
The same legislatorswho as parents themselves know betterwill
assume a teenage girl will consult Idaho law when deciding whether to tell mommy or daddy
she is pregnant?
These legislators are suffering some serious delusions.
Supporters say the law will improve parent-child communicationeven
if communication is poor to begin with.
They seem to believe a girl living with abusive parents will have enough
information, legal resources and money to seek a court order to allow her to get an
abortion.
They see no contradiction in railing against governmental red tape on one
hand, but imposing burdensome abortion-reporting and parental notification requirements on
busy doctors with the other.
The bill will do nothing to improve family communication.
It will do nothing to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
It will do nothing to improve the lives of single teenage moms and their
offspring.
It will make obtaining an abortion more difficult. It will increase the
likelihood that pregnant teenagers will put their lives at risk in the hands of unskilled
abortionists.
It will punish pregnant teenage girls in difficult family situations. Then
again, perhaps this is the point after all--eh, Dr. Freud?