Posted on 01/27/2006 7:50:10 AM PST by Gopher Broke
Urgent Action Needed on HB 868 to keep teens safe!
STOP HB 868 and keep teens safe!
Dear xxxxx xxxxxx,
Members of the Courts of Justice Committee will soon be considering HB 868 - a bill that requires parental notification, parental consent, and a mandatory delay for Emergency Contraception (EC) for teens. Rather than reducing teen pregnancy in Virginia, this bill could actually discourage teens from seeking EC to prevent unintended pregnancies.
Additional facts about HB 868
Of course we all want teens to be safe. However, the real outcome of this law is delayed medical care. Nobody should support that.
Emergency Contraception is just that - contraception.
EC prevents unintended pregnancy and the need for abortions.
If legislators truly want to reduce unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion, they would put prevention first.
TAKE ACTION! Please contact your delegate NOW and ask him or her to OPPOSE HB 868.
Send a letter to the following decision maker(s): House Courts 2006 (if you live in VA)
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Oppose HB 868
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
I am writing to urge you to oppose HB 868.
Everyone wants teens to be safe. Most parents' top priority is to ensure that their teens are safe and healthy. However, parental notification and consent laws do nothing to keep teens safe or promote family communication.
Requiring a delay for the administration of emergency contraception diminishes its effectiveness because with EC, the sooner it is taken following an incident of contraceptive failure or sexual assault, the more effective it is.
The real outcome of parental notification laws is delayed medical care and counseling for the most vulnerable teens. Parents need real tools to help them communicate openly with their children about healthy behaviors and sexual decision-making.
Please oppose HB 868 and help keep teens safe.
Mandating parental involvement for family planning services causes many teens, who may fear abuse, punishment or parental disappointment, to delay or avoid needed care.
This bill does nothing to prevent unintended pregnancies or the spread of STDs in Virginia, and in fact, could lead to more. Empirical studies have made it clear that many teens will not seek help if their health care services are not confidential.
I urge you to oppose HB173 and instead, support measures to put prevention first in Virginia. The best way to prevent unintended pregnancies and make abortion rare is to make sure women, families and teens have access to family planning services.
Sincerely,
xxxxxx xxxxxxxx
"If legislators truly want to reduce unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion, they would put prevention first."
Prevention = abstinence! Think they want to teach that?
How on earth is parental notification about such things a bad thing for children? Shouldn't parents know about such things?
Boy, I don;t know who said it, but "The road to Hell (really) is paved with good intentions."
...and we do this by killing babies, ensuring that they don't grow up into endangered teens.
Sick.
Report Finds Parental Influence, Faith Are Teen Pregnancy Prevention Keys
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/1/262006g.asp
This is a joke, right?
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