Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 9, 1994 TAG: 9404110170
SECTION: NATL/INTL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Allen amended a General Assembly-approved bill to require that physicians notify parents before performing abortions on girls under 18 years of age. The assembly's bill would apply to girls under 17.
``I believe the notification requirement should apply to all minors - not just those 16 years old or younger,'' Allen said. Allen also rejected an assembly compromise allowing physicians to notify the grandparents or siblings of teen-age girls, instead of their parents.
A key opponent of parental notification said Allen and his anti-abortion supporters may prevail when the amendments come before the General Assembly in a veto session April 20.
``I hope we can kill it on the floor of the Senate, but I'm not terribly optimistic,'' said state Sen. Elliot Schewel, D-Lynchburg.
Allen is trying to resurrect the same proposal killed 22-18 in the Senate last month. The assembly then approved a compromise that removed 17-year-olds from the notification requirement and gave teen-age girls the option of notifying a grandparent or sibling over 21.
Anti-abortion groups, including the Rev. Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition, have urged Allen to press the assembly to approve his original proposal.
Friday, Allen seemed to need little prodding.
``I strongly support - and I am convinced the vast majority of Virginians want - a true parental notification law in the commonwealth,'' he said.
"The governor's action reflects a commitment to the family, as well as to protecting young girls who are otherwise left at the mercy of abortionists," said Andrea Sexton, spokeswoman for the Virginia Society for Human Life. "It also reflects the position of a majority of Virginians in recent polls."
At issue are the reproductive rights of 17-year-old girls, who are less likely than younger girls to confide in their parents when faced with an unwanted pregnancy.
About 1,000 girls across Virginia would be affected each year if Allen's amendment were to pass, according to Karen Raschke, a lobbyist for Planned Parenthood of Virginia. Planned Parenthood surveys indicate that three out of four 17-year-old girls do not notify their parents before seeking an abortion.
``Their concern is not about talking to parents,'' Raschke said of Allen and anti-abortion supporters. ``Their concern is putting up roadblocks to abortion.''
Under both versions of the law, teen-age girls could seek judicial approval instead of notifying their parents. The judge would decide whether the girl is mature enough to make her own decision and whether notifying the parents would not be in the girl's best interests.
Allen's amendments are expected to easily pass the House of Delegates. ``The war will be won or lost in the Senate,'' said House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell, D-Roanoke County.
But he is guessing that Allen would not have proposed the amendments unless he was confident that at least three senators had switched their votes.
``If they don't have the three switches, they're losers on the issue,'' Cranwell said. ``Right now, they are winners.''
Staff writer Cody Lowe contributed to this report.
by CNB