Abortion-rights opponents in California have failed to collect enough signatures to qualify a parental involvement proposal (15-0040) for the November ballot, the Sacramento Bee's "Capitol Alert" reports (Miller, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 3/21).
Proposal details
Under the initiative, physicians would have been required to inform the parents or legal guardians in writing if a woman under age 18 sought an abortion. The minor seeking abortion care would have been required to wait 48 hours after the notification before she could have undergone the procedure.
The initiative would have provided limited exceptions, such as in cases of medical emergency or documented parental abuse. The minor could be granted a judicial waiver if she appears in court and "proves" her maturity or that the waiver is in her best interest (Proposal 15-0040, accessed 3/22).
Initiative falls short
Californians for Parental Rights on its website said that "insufficient signatures" had been collected to qualify the ballot measure. The initiative required at least 585,407 signatures by March 15 to qualify for the ballot.
According to "Capitol Alert," state voters have rejected similar proposals in the past ("Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 3/21). For example, such measures were defeated in 2005, 2006 and 2008 (Women's Health Policy Report, 2/26/15).


