Parental notification fails to gather enough signatures for November ballot

The following statement was released to California Catholic Daily on May 2.

Californians for Parental Rights announced today that a proposed initiative constitutional amendment to require parental notification in most circumstances before an abortion can be performed on a girl under 18 will not qualify for the November 2012 ballot.

The end of the 150-day period for gathering signatures to qualify the initiative was April 30, and campaign officials said not enough signatures had been gathered. Californians for Parental Rights needed 807,615 valid signatures for the measure to qualify. 

Among those endorsing the proposed initiative were the Catholic bishops of California.

“Because current law allows secrecy for ‘confidential medical services’ a young girl could have multiple abortions — at state expense — without her parents’ knowledge,” the bishops said in a January statement urging support for the signature drive.

“Not only are her parents still responsible for her medical and emotional needs if she suffers complications from the abortion, but current policy denies them accurate information as to how best to care for her. The relationship between that girl and her parents will be forever altered because of her secret.”

Signatures were gathered at Catholic and Evangelical churches across the state beginning in late January, but time ran out before enough signatures could be collected.

“This was largely an all-volunteer effort, and we want to thank the many volunteers across the state who contributed their time and resources to qualifying the measure,” said a campaign spokesperson. “Many people worked long hours, drove thousands of miles, and sacrificed their spare time on this campaign. We deeply appreciate their hard work for a worthy cause.”

 

READER COMMENTS

Posted Friday, May 04, 2012 2:08 AM By Abeca Christian
I had a cinch that this would happen when I saw people gather signatures to help end the Death Penalty, I knew it would affect this very important initiative. The church should of never gotten involved in gathering signatures to vote to end the death penalty. It was a grave mistake!

Posted Friday, May 04, 2012 5:57 AM By JOHN
How can it be that the bishops backed two initiatives—the prolife protection for minors from abortion initiative and the ACLU backed anti-death penalty initiative—and only the ACLU proposal qualified? Does this tell us where the bishops are really at? The Los Angeles churches alone could have qualified the prolife measure for the ballot but the effort and organizational leadership were not there to make it happen. Abp Gomez needs to try once again next election to qualify a prolife initiative.

Posted Friday, May 04, 2012 6:18 AM By Elizabeth
What is needed is paid volunteers like the ACLU has! Where are all the wealthy pro-life people who could give? This is SO sad!!!

Posted Friday, May 04, 2012 6:57 AM By Larry
No doubt the bishops were much too busy with the anti-death penalty measure to have enough time for the parental notification thing.

Posted Friday, May 04, 2012 7:07 AM By OneoftheSheep
I, too, wish to thank all the volunteers at the Catholic and Evangelical churches throughout California for their efforts. Blessed Mother Teresa has said, and I paraphrase, God does not look at our success but at our efforts. It is the parents who have lost in this campaign. Their rights have been eroded. Their daughters have been made less safe. The unborn grandchildren that are at jeopardy can never be returned to them. They may never know the extent of their loss. It is a huge business in California. The execution of preborn children fills the coffers of Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry with money. But the tragedy plays out in the hearts of countless minors as they deal with their abortions without the wisdom and counsel of their own parents. I weep for the loss of lives. I weep for the loss of consciences. I weep for the lost signatures that could have put this measure on the ballot.

Posted Friday, May 04, 2012 8:00 AM By MD
The idea that a teenage girl can just go and have an abortion without her parents knowledge is extremely sad to me. What a backwards world we live in. You have to have parental consent to give a child an advil, but you can perform an abortion? We have to pray and work to end this culture that loves the death of babies. God Love You.

Posted Friday, May 04, 2012 9:05 AM By MacDonald
I am very sorry to read this news. Our parish pro-life group worked hard to get signatures from people at Mass and succeeded, but it seems the results from throughout the state were not enough. The thought of a young girl going for an abortion, letting a doctor kill her baby, and then her living with the memory of what she did is very tragic indeed. May God help our parents talk with their sons and daughters in an honest, Catholic, healthy way about the right way to live, so young girls will not end up going for abortions. It strikes me that, if EVERYONE on the planet lived fully according to Catholic teaching, we would have no abortions, no AIDS, no wars, no child abuse, no rape, no murders, no famine, no genocide. Alas, the world does NOT live according to genuine Catholic teaching, including many Catholics…

Posted Friday, May 04, 2012 9:39 AM By Grandmother
The bishops gave their all to get the ACLU’s death penalty initiative on the November ballot, and where I go to church there was only token effort on the parental notification measure. Why is this? Politics and so-called “social justice” is more important to them. Shameful! How many more girls and their famiies will have to suffer? How many more babies will be murdered? There is no dealth penalty for abortionists to fear – but God is a just God and will demand justice for abortionists and also for bishops who have not fought for this initiative.

Posted Friday, May 04, 2012 1:03 PM By Tracy
Abeca Christian, John, and Grandmother, thanks for your pointing this out. I receive the “Legislative Updates” sent out by the bishops of California. I noticed that for one week only they mentioned support for parental notification. After that, no mention of it was made. However, week after week the anti-death penalty proposition was posted. Early on I got the impression that the Bishops supposed support for parental notification amounted to a brief moment of lip service. I helped out trying to collect signatures after Mass at a parish who reluctantly allowed us to do so. To say the least, the responses I received from the parishioners were extremely disheartening.

Posted Friday, May 04, 2012 1:25 PM By Joan Scibetta
I go to St, Joseph’s in Capitola. This petition was never presented to us to sign. Why not? Where is our Bishop Garcia in all of this? Sincerely, Joan Scibetta

Posted Friday, May 04, 2012 1:33 PM By Dana
It’s my guess that X Catholic won’t be greatly missed as it sounds like he/she either missed a great deal of catechism and/or a great many masses and got most of his/hers from Time or Newsweek articles published at Easter. People like that would have cardiac arrest if they actually read what Jesus said, for example, about heaven and hell, hypocrisy, liars et al. Also, for those who think Jesus never said anything about homosexuality, think again. He said, and I quote, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Math.5:17 News flash, homosexual relations in the OT are sins so bad they cry out to heaven and one of the ten commandments, Thou shalt not commit adultery still holds true. That is why the active homosexuals are working so diligently to making their ‘marriages’ legal and binding. With that kind of thinking it were better that they had not been born. As for the beautiful Christian men and women with same-sex attraction, who through love of Jesus and truth, commit themselves to chastity, deserve great compassion and love. Forgoing sin for any of us is always extremely difficult but it is so much easier than enduring the consequences that inevitably come from sinning. Amen? Most of us contribute here because of love. Sometimes love has a really tough side and most of the articles we read concern the consistent and concerted attacks on our beloved Mother Church. It’s a little difficult to be all sugary sweet when something you cherish is being trashed. I come here because I want to learn, not to impress someone with what a good and charitable person I am. (and no smart-alecky remarks. haha)

Posted Friday, May 04, 2012 1:51 PM By Brad
How many Catholics downloaded the petition in PDF format from the easily findable website, completed it for their household, if only for their own signature? How many privately circulated it to their friends, if only two or three? We can gripe about our leaders, but what about personal impetus? No, my brethren, I am not attacking you. I’m just saying, in these times and especially in this place, CA, we must individually “be the change we want to see in the world”. Forget “people” who did or did not sign the petition: did you? But more importantly, most importantly, if you were not presented with it to sign, why did you not present it to yourself to sign? In charity.