Call, email or fax your Senators to oppose the Child Custody Protection Act (S. 661, CCPA), which we have dubbed the Teen Endangerment Act. The bill could come up any time THIS WEEK, as Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) has indicated that he wants to bring it to a floor vote as soon as possible. This dangerous legislation has already passed the House and a close Senate vote is expected. Please act right away. Contact information is at the bottom of this alert
This bill attempts to legislate family communication, but would actually have the opposite effect. Approximately 75 percent of young women already involve a parent when faced with an unintended pregnancy. Minors who cannot confide in their parents usually turn to a trusted adult (93% of minors are accompanied by an adult to an abortion clinic). However, many would not do so knowing that the adult would face prison for providing assistance.
Because of the paucity of abortion providers (86% of counties have no provider), a young woman’s only realistic option could be a clinic that is nearby but across state lines. This legislation could risk young women’s health, by isolating those who do not involve their parents in their decision for good reasons, such as the threat of violence. An example of this is a thirteen-year-old from Idaho, Spring Adams, who was shot to death by her estranged father, who was nonetheless required to be told of her plans to terminate her pregnancy (which was reportedly the result of his acts of incest). According to research, among minors who did not tell a parent of their abortion, 30% had experienced violence in their family or feared violence or feared being forced to leave home.
Opposing this legislation are: the American Academy of Pediatrics, representing 55,000 pediatricians nationally, and the Society for Adolescent Medicine, representing 1,400 adolescent health professionals nationally. These groups wrote to Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL) when the bill was before the House saying, "legislation mandating parental involvement does not achieve the intended benefit of promoting family communication. It may increase the risk of harm to the adolescent by delaying access to appropriate medical care."
Thank you for any help you can provide in opposing this dangerous bill.