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

DATE: SUNDAY, March 13, 1994                   TAG: 9403130037
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BY WARREN FISKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium

PARENTAL-NOTIFICATION BILL APPROVED

Under intense pressure from Gov. George Allen, a Senate committee that had routinely killed the legislation over the past decade reversed its direction at a morning meeting and passed a watered-down version of the bill.

The legislation then sailed through the House and Senate in the closing hours of the 1994 General Assembly session and was advanced to Allen.

A notification law, in some form, will be enacted July 1. It was unclear, however, whether Allen will sign the bill before him or offer amendments to toughen the legislation when the General Assembly convenes in April for a one-day veto session.

The bill would require physicians Earley to notify the parents of girls younger than 17 at least 24 hours before ending pregnancies. At a girl's request, the doctor could instead tell any grandparent or sibling who is older than 21. Teens from abusive families could opt to seek permission from a judge.

Allen and many abortion opponents wanted to make 18 the cutoff point for notification and objected to provisions that allowed other family members to be informed in lieu of parents.

But they compromised in the end, realizing that the more-lenient provision would win the Senate committee's approval. Efforts to amend the bill into tougher form were defeated 22-18 on the Senate floor.

"Even though the bill is not in the form I would like to see it in, it is still a very giant step forward on parental notification," said state Sen. Mark Earley, R-Chesapeake.

Earley said he is optimistic that Allen will pressure the General Assembly to strengthen the bill. "Even if the effort fails, at least we'll have some law on the books," he said.

Karen Rashke, a lobbyist for Planned Parenthood of Virginia, which opposes abortion restrictions, said, "We figured this bill passed on the day Allen was elected."

Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1994