If you support CHOICE

[Ayesha]

These right-wing wackos in CA have been calling people trying to get them to sign petitions for parental notification for minors that want abortions. This vile bill was already on the ballot once and failed, but being the inbred morons they are, they're trying to ressurect it again and harassing people at odd hours by phone. However, and most conveniently, they have a toll-free number that they call from, and that you can call back. It's a machine and you leave a message, ostensibly with your address to receive a petition. It occured to me that we could all call and do one (or more) of the following to waste their time and money:

-Request a petition and then throw it away
-Call multiple times and give fake addresses
-Simply let them know exactly what you think of this bullshit legislation

The phone # is 1-888-236-0296. Press 1 to request the petition, and have fun!

[Olney Blue]

1. What is a Wiccan?

:)

[MissMarple]

4. A neo pagan, a witch.

Wiccans are usually quite good people. :)

[Olney Blue]

8. Thanks!

:hi:

I'm always learning new things on DU

[MissMarple]

18. Check out this neo pagan site. It used to be pretty good.

I haven't cruised through there for quite a while, but it can be quite instructive, at least it has been for me. Just be careful about the links. They can be quite DARK. Satanism, as well as other weird groups, is a cultist offshoot of Christianity. Their groups can sometimes link from the Wiccan sites. Wiccans are tree huggers. Those other guys, the dark side, are tree burners.

www.witchvox.com

[TalkingDog]

5. A person that practices a modern form of nature spirituality.

Reclaiming the idea of the female witch as a symbol of a person connected to higher power; in this case, nature.

[MissMarple]

19. So...did you google, or do you just know that?

:)

[TalkingDog]

21. Personal Experience...tho I'm not wiccan. Shamanka. n/t

;-)

[valerief]

2. Why plump up their numbers? n/t

[Ayesha]

3. It won't

as long as you don't sign the petition. It just wastes their postage, time, and makes them pay for the phone call. One can also just leave random messages, music, whatever to fill up their machine with junk and make collecting legit addresses that much harder. :)

[cynatnite]

6. Fake addresses?

What if it turns out to be a very real address?

Saying what you think of the legislation is far more preferable, IMO.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

7. Unfortunately I Think There Should Be Parental Notification For Minors.

There are certain things I think parents have a right to know. Their minor child getting impregnated is one of them, in my opinion. (though I respect that people have passionate opinions as to the opposite).

[iamjoy]

9. I Wish It Were That Easy

on the one hand, minors getting parental consent for abortion is very logical. After all, they would need it for any other medical procedure (unless their life was in immediate jeopardy) - right?

But, just consider a few things -

1) Do you think minors have any right to privacy? Parental consent laws are not crafted with this idea in mind.

2) Yes, abortion is a medical procedure. But with the exception of a few far out religious fanatics, have you known a parent to refuse a critical medical procedure for their child? But, some paretns might refuse abortion.

3) Do you trust the people sponsoring these parental consent bills? I don't think these are moderate Pro-Choice people. These are people who want to take away a woman's right to choose. Adn while not a lawyer, I'd bet many of these laws are cleverly written so they could be used as precedent to restrict abortion for other women (ie - married women needing spousal consent, overturning PP vs. Casey) and more.

[reBel_gyrl]

10. Ah, see I absolutely agree..

I thought I was going to be the only one. I think parents of minors need to know when their daughters are pregnant and/or thinking of abortion. I know the original bill had some people concerned about girls with poor home situations, and that telling an abusive parent would put her in more danger, but here's what I see: abused girl sneaks and hides her pregnancy and abortion from abusive parents, maybe gets caught and hurt bad, maybe not, but she's still in danger after the fact -or- as with this bill, gets pregnant, contacts a doctor whom she tells about her problems at home, and instead of informing her parents and endangering her she tells a judge in a private conference, who then decides if an abortion is the best idea AND CALLS CPS. So not only does she have a chance to safely and leagally get the medical attention she needs, but she also gets help out of an abusive relationship with her family. I think that's just fine.

I also have young sisters and my heart would break to think they would have to go through anything lke that alone.

[VelmaD]

13. So some judge who doesn't even know the girl...

knows what is the "best idea" for her? :eyes: What if she gets some wingnut judge? Why shouldn't she have a choice just like any other woman? Why should her life and her futures be in anyone's hands other than her own? She is the one who has to live with the results after all.

[reBel_gyrl]

15. So.. because the judge is a 'stranger'

to her his/her influence and interest in her well being, (though yes, there are "wingnut" judges too) and intervention in this situation is irrelevant? Better to send her home to be beaten? If her life is her own as a minor why not let her get drunk and drive cars and smoke cigarettes? Minors DON'T have the same choice as adults, hence, they are minors.

I liked what dflprincess said about trust worthy adults, a teacher for example, and of course if the girl were in physical danger from the pregnancy there needs to be some kind of provision that they wouldn't have to wait for a permission slip. I am for NOTIFICATION, not necessarily parental PERMISSION...
(that was a lot of "i" words :P )

[cynatnite]

11. I used to feel that way...

I've come to realize that things happen and some girls may not tell their mother. My neice didn't tell her mother for four months. If something had happened and an abortion was needed to save her life, they would need to get parental notification. Time may be of the essence.

Someone here at DU told me about something like this happening to some parents. Their daughter died as a result. It was because of parental notification being required and the parents weren't notified in time. They testified before congress.

So, after considering these circumstances I do not support parental notification. I also have a fifteen year old daughter, too. If it was my daughter's life and an abortion was the only way of saving her, they don't need to notifiy me.

edited for clarification.

[Control-Z]

20. Becky Bell died because of parental consent laws

'On September 16, 1988, 17-year-old Becky Bell died of complications that resulted from an unsafe, illegal abortion, which she sought in a desperate attempt to avoid telling her parents that she was pregnant. Becky lived in Indiana, where the law mandates that young women obtain the consent of a parent before terminating a pregnancy.'

Full story here:

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/files/portal/webzine/newspoliticsactivism/fean-050916-becky-bell.xml


Assuming that minor consent laws were being written for reasons other than to get a "foot in the door" (on abortion bans) it is still bad law. Becky Bell wasn't protected under Indiana's minor consent law. One Becky Bell is one too many.

[dflprincess]

12. Minnesota has parental notification but it also has a judicial bypass

clause meaning a girl can get a judge to okay an abortion without telling her parents. I believe the wingnuts have lately been making some noise about going after judges they think are too ready to do this (though I think there's some problem with them getting the actual information because of confidentiality matters.)

Ideally, a girl should be able to go to her folks but we all know that's not always possible. I would like to see Minnesota's law amended to provide a "trusted adult" clause meaning an aunt, uncle, teacher or counselor's knowledge and permission would be enough. Leave having to go to a judge as a last resort.

[reBel_gyrl]

14. I like that ....

[Guaranteed]

16. Kick, great idea. nt

[Gormy Cuss]

17. Too late for me

I already left a message telling them I live in America and what they're proposing doesn't belong here.