If I stop thinking right then, because I have to push something and get out of the voting booth because this voting thing is making me late for work, and what does one vote either way matter anyway, I might figure “Sure, fine that’s a good idea. Yes.”

The key to defeating this, I think, is to get it so that the “no thought” reaction focuses on abusive home situations. I don’t know how one accomplishes that.

The argument is going like this:
“Families should be able to discuss these things.”
“But not all families can”
“Well, they should!”

ad infinitum.

At least, I do. Parents who believe their kids don’t trust them enough to tell them something as important as “I’m pregnant, and I plan to get an abortion” really need to think about what they’re publicly saying about themselves.

These laws are all about creating obstacles to abortion and harassing young women who choose that option. Anyone who pretends otherwise is either lying or kidding him/herself.

The only solution is to have a system that protects those kids, not the abusive parents.

For non-abusive parents, the kids *don’t need a law* because there will be communication in the first place.

So there is no logical response to this other than to vote against parental notification.

I read that story and thought wow, the O had a good day. According to my mom who has been a portland resident for more than 20 years the O was recently sold out to another conglomerate (I think it already belonged to one) and has gone downhill and usually it does not have that great a news section. But in that same edition, tehre was also a very interesting front-page story about internet addiction that was really fun to read as well. Well maybe fun is not the right word. Is there a 12 step program for blog commenters?

I’m not so sure about that, Silver Owl. Laws are created by representatives that we elected (or allow to be elected). If the average middle of the road American actually learned about these issues and voted on what they learned we probably wouldn’t have these extremist laws being proposed. I put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the American people, especially women, and the incredible amount of apathy and self-involvement they display. I am disgusted that even though women have the most to lose, they are the hardest segment of the population to motivate politically. And yes, I can say this. I am a woman.

Would a parental-notification law have changed the outcome of the Oregonian interviewee’s tragic story — that is, if the teen had been underage?

Who does Dawn think she’s kidding? The only part of that story she found “tragic” was the abortion itself.

It’s just stunning.