Proposition 4 Fact Check

For Immediate Release:  Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Contact Katie Short (619) 737-7900

The Yes on 4 Campaign is setting the record straight because the opposition has repeatedly misled the public with false and misleading information.

• CLAIM: Parental notification laws will harm minors. Scared teens will turn to back-alley abortions or commit suicide.
  
  
  • FACT: There is absolutely no research or even a single documented case to back up the claim that notification laws endanger minors.
    
    
• CLAIM: The teen birth rate will rise as girls are forced into unwanted motherhood
  
  
  • FACT: Again, there is no data to back up this claim and in fact, the opposite is true. Parental involvement laws have been associated with reduced teen birthrates, pregnancy rates, and rates of sexually transmitted disease.
    
    
• CLAIM: California's teen pregnancy rate is already dropping

• FACT: The State of California does not collect data on the number of abortions, a number that is necessary in order to accurately determine the teen pregnancy rate. But even Planned Parenthood's own research arm estimates that California has the seventh highest teen pregnancy rate in the country.

• CLAIM: Most girls already tell their parents about their decision before having an abortion

• FACT: Only one of the studies used to support this claim actually deals with the question of minor girls talking to their parents before an abortion. That study found that most girls do NOT tell a parent about the decision to have an abortion. The study found that only 45% of minors in the study told a parent about their abortion. Only 55% of those under age 14 told a parent.

• CLAIM: Almost all of those teens who don't tell a parent do consult with another trusted adult, such as a teacher, counselor, nurse, or clergy member
  
  
  • FACT: Broken down, the opponent's claims are greatly inflated. Only 47% of minors under the age of 16 and 52% over 16, who did not tell their parents, reported involving another adult. Only 22% of these minors reported that the "other adult" was a teacher, nurse, etc. Thirteen percent of the minors reported that an adult (over age 21) boyfriend was the "other adult" consulted.
    
    
• CLAIM: The girls who don't tell a parent fear being physically abused or thrown out of their home

• FACT: The study that opponents use to support their claim actually found that the most common reason, by far, for minors not telling their parent(s) was because they "didn't want to hurt or disappoint parent."

The Yes on 4 Campaign is a coalition of doctors, nurses, and educators working to pass Proposition 4/Sarah's Law because they care about the physical and emotional health of vulnerable young girls, who shouldn't have to make such an adult decision alone. To join the coalition, visit www.Yeson4.net.