ABORTION NOTIFICATION BILL KILLED

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, January 31, 1992                   TAG: 9201310324
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: WARREN FISKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium
ABORTION NOTIFICATION BILL KILLED
Legislation that would have required physicians to notify parents before performing abortions on unmarried teen-age girls was killed in a Senate committee Thursday, for the sixth straight year.
But debate over the controversial bill appears anything but over. An hour after the Senate setback, an almost-identical measure gained momentum in the House of Delegates. Anti-abortion lawmakers vowed to work to bypass the hostile Senate committee should the House pass its version.
"We suffered a setback today, but the fight may not be over," said Sen. Charles Colgan, D-Manassas, the bill's sponsor.
At the center of the fight is the Senate Education and Health Committee, which has killed notification bills every year since 1986. Backers of the legislation, noting that three of the panel's most hostile members retired last fall, believed that this finally would be the year to break their losing streak.
But the reconfigured committee rejected the bill, 11-4. "I was really surprised," Colgan said. "I thought we had the votes this year."
The bill would have required a physician to notify a parent or legal guardian before performing an abortion on an unmarried girl younger than 18. Victims of incest and abusive families could appeal to a juvenile and domestic relations judge to bypass the parental notice requirement.
Supporters said the legislation would foster good family relationships and help ensure that girls receive proper medical treatment.
"Without parental consent, parents are put at the back door and our daughters are being dumped in our driveways," said Eileen Roberts of Fredericksburg, whose 14-year-old suffered complications and depression after a secret abortion several years ago.
Opponents warned that the legislation could lead to teen suicides and runaways.
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB