ARTICLES

Will Each Parish Turn in 500 Signatures?

Initiative Drive at Parishes Booming

Like a tidal wave, signature gathering for the Parents' Right to Know and Child Protection initiative is moving from the south end of the state, gathering momentum, and moving north.

The ballot initiative, which will require a doctor to notify one parent of an under-18-year-old girl before performing an abortion on her, needs 900,000 signatures to qualify for the November, 2006 ballot.

This is the same ballot proposition (Proposition 73) that came within 5.6 percent of winning in November, 2006.

Petition circulators gathered more than 120,000 signatures in the first three weeks the petitions were on the streets (February 7-28).

St. Francis parish in Vista collected 800 signatures its first week of collecting. St. Michael's in Poway collected over 1320.

Seven parishes in the Escondido area collected an average of 700 signatures each in the first few weeks.

Immaculate Conception parish in Colton (San Bernadino diocese) collected 200 signatures on Ash Wednesday.

As of this deadline a memo from the California bishops encouraging signature gathering was expected to be sent. Such a memo would help especially in the northern dioceses of the state.

Grace Dulaney, who led the signature gathering in the Escondido area, attributes the 700+ average for her parishes to the willingness of the pastors to encourage petition signing from the pulpit. "Some priests gave their own pitch; some allowed the parish representative to read the statement. It made all the difference having someone encouraging."

(See below for the text of the pulpit message.)

For petitions, flyers, posters, dvds, call toll-free (866) 828-8355, email Janet@Parentsright2Know.org, or visit the website www.ParentsRight2Know.org. To see video spots, visit www.YESon73.net.

WHAT TO SAY FROM THE PULPIT

Suggested Announcment For Your Parish

As you may recall, last November we the people of California, had the first opportunity in decades to vote on Parental Notification for Abortion of Minors. Proposition 73 (the Parents' Right to Know initiative) was narrowly defeated, actually by only 5.6%. In many ways it was a victory. Getting the initiative on the ballot educated people about the fact that under our current laws a minor girl under the age of 18 cannot leave school without her parents' permission, even to go on a field trip. She cannot get her ears pierced, or get a tattoo, or get a flu shot, or have a cavity filled. She cannot even receive an aspirin from the school nurse without her parents' knowledge! Yet that same child can be taken off campus by a stranger to an abortion mill, put under general anesthesia and have a surgical or chemical abortion performed on her without her parents knowledge!

This obvious lack of logic in our current law undermines parents' relationships with their children. Parents have the "right to know" that their child is scheduled for a medical procedure! Beyond this, another sickening issue is being swept under the carpet by our current "right to privacy" abortion law. In a study of over 46,000 pregnancies of school-age girls in California, it was found that over two-thirds were impregnated by adult men whose average age was 22. So, the "right to privacy" of a 12 or 14 year old girl is currently superceding a "parent's right to know", and is allowing tens of thousands of cases of statutory rape and incest to go unreported.

Over thirty states currently have some form of notification or consent and have seen a dramatic drop in teen abortions and teen pregnancies the very next year as a result of their change in law. In California Legislative Analysts estimate that parental notification could reduce the number of abortions in our state by 5,000-10,000 per year. Passing the initiative in November will permanently amend our constitution.

Your fellow parishioners are collecting signatures after all the Masses to get this very important initiative back in front of voters in November. Every signature counts so please help protect these young girls and their most sacred relationship with their parents. In doing so, you will also help save thousands of unborn babies from potential abortions!

Thank you for your support and prayers.

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