Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 3, 1994 TAG: 9402030170
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
"Any change in the law is a threat," Judy Castleman, a lobbyist for the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights League, told about 70 supporters.
"Virginia is a pro-choice state, and Virginia must remain a pro-choice state," said Denise Lee, state coordinator of the National Organization for Women.
Lee said a parental-notification law would open the door to other restrictions on abortion.
"What makes you think they're going to stop with that?" she asked. "It's a tough fight."
The parental-notification bill would require that a parent or a court be told when an unmarried minor girl seeks an abortion. The bill passed the General Assembly two years ago but was vetoed by then-Gov. Douglas Wilder.
Gov. George Allen has made passage of the bill one of his legislative priorities. In his first address to lawmakers, Allen pointed to polls showing that most Virginians support parental notification.
"I trust you will heed the manifest will of the people," Allen said.
Secretary of Health and Human Resources Kay Coles James, a former spokeswoman for the anti-abortion National Right to Life Committee, said the administration will not push for further abortion restrictions this year.
"That's all that's on our plate right now," James said. "That one ought to be a no-brainer. I don't know any parent that wouldn't want to know."
Requiring that a girl from an abusive home notify a court about her abortion plans would enable the family to get counseling, James said. Without a notification requirement, the family's problems would remain hidden, she said.
Bills sponsored by Sen. Mark Earley, R-Chesapeake, and Del. Roscoe Reynolds, D-Martinsville, would require that a parent or the court be notified when a girl under age 18 seeks an abortion.
A compromise bill proposed by Del. Shirley Cooper, D-Yorktown, would require parental notification unless the physician determines the girl is mature or that telling a parent would not be in her best interests.
Del. Stephen Martin, R-Richmond, introduced a bill setting requirements for what a doctor must tell a pregnant woman to obtain "informed consent" for an abortion.
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1994
by CNB