Crossing the Line -- Protecting Children from Interstate Abortion
by Staff
July 18, 2008
WASHINGTON, (christiansunite.com) -- Yesterday, Representatives on the House Constitution Subcommittee hosted a forum to draw attention to the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA). CIANA would prohibit any person, other than a parent or guardian, from knowingly transporting a minor across a state line to obtain an abortion.Planned Parenthood committed over 290,000 abortions last year alone and is the largest abortion provider in the United States. Many minors who obtain abortions may do so under intimidation and without the consent of a parent or guardian.
The author of CIANA, Representative Ileana Ros- Lehtinen (R-Florida), said the bill will "protect minors from exploitation from the abortion industry, promote strong family ties, and will help foster respect for state laws."
Wendy Wright, President of Concerned Women for America (CWA), said, "Parents know their children best, love them most, and have the natural desire to protect them. Yet as it is now, minor girls can be taken across state lines by a stranger and coerced into an abortion without their parents' knowledge. The law needs to catch up to the reality that parents' rights extend beyond state lines, especially when it involves an invasive procedure that kills a human being and can scar their daughter for life."
Shari Rendall, Director of Legislation and Public Policy for CWA, said, "At a time when schools are fearful of being sued for supplying a student with aspirin without parental consent, it is incomprehensible that there is no law to prohibit an adult from taking a child across state lines to obtain an abortion and circumvent parental notification laws. It is essential to protect children and ensure they are not coerced into making an adult decision without the guidance and wisdom of their parents."
Concerned Women for America is the nation's largest public policy women's organization.
