In this political season, California is attempting to pass a proposition that would require teen girls to notify their parents before having an abortion. Those who work with teens say that this is dangerous.

Their assertion is that most teens already tell a parent or adult who they trust that they are having an abortion - that most teens who are able to seek support already do. Proposition 4 would require that, in order to not notify a parent, another adult would have to be notified - with a form letter - of the abortion, and the teen would need to state in writing that they had been abused by a parent, which would automatically lead to a state investigation of the abuse.

Those who are against the measure cite cases in which a teen girl was impregnated by her step father in one case and by her half-brother in another. They argue that the proposition would take teens who are already in a dangerous family environment and make it worse; they say that these are the same teens who, if forced to disclose, would rather risk their health, well-being and lives in order to seek an illegal abortion just to get around the regulation.

On the other side of the coin, those who are backing proposition four say that it’s no different than laws that require parental consent for a teen to go to a tanning salon or to receive an aspirin from the school nurse if they have a headache.

Now, teens who find themselves in a position in which they are looking at an abortion as an option know that they need support. If they were not able to talk directly with their parents, many would make the choice to talk with their boyfriend’s parents, an adult at school or the parent of the friend; they would seek out the support of a trusted adult. In other words, teens who are pregnant recognize that they cannot do everything on their own.

However, when a teen is already in an abusive situation, how is it appropriate to take a way her right to choose and to protect herself? Why institute a policy that would abuse these young women - girls - again, particularly when the goal is to protect them? Teens who find themselves desperate to act will find a way to have their needs met - even if it means traveling out of state or taking risks in order to do so.