Democrats in senate would encourage abortions by underage girls

Democrats in

U.S.

Senate Would Encourage Abortions by Under-Age Girls by Allowing Them to Escape Parental Notification Laws
             The U.S. Senate passed legislation on Tuesday, according to the New York Times, that would make it a federal crime to help an under-age girl escape parental notification laws by crossing state lines to obtain an abortion.
             Democrats are opposing the bill and making it a campaign issue.
             The bill was approved on a 65-to-34 vote, with 14 Democrats joining 51 Republicans in favor.
             A similar measure passed the House last year, and President Bush said he would sign the legislation if the two chambers could work out their differences and send a final bill to him.
             Proponents of the bill, acknowledging that it was unknown how often such incidents occurred, said abortion clinics in states without such parental involvement laws had advertised that no consent was needed in an effort to appeal to those interested in avoiding such requirements.
             “If they are advertising, then it obviously at least happens,” said Senator John Ensign, the Nevada Republican who wrote the measure. “If it is happening 20 times a year, it is still worth doing to protect those parental rights and to protect those children from being in these kinds of situations.”
             The Times ended its story by saying about the attempt to reconcile the House and Senate bills: “Democrats were not going to make it easy to reach a final deal.”