LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Backers of an initiative to require doctors to notify parents when a minor seeks to have an abortion have received permission to begin gathering signatures from Secretary of State Alex Padilla.
The initiative would require the girl to wait 48 hours to have an abortion after the physician or other medical professional notifies her parent or legal guardian in writing.
Exceptions would be provided for medical emergency, parental waiver or parental abuse documented by notarized statement from law enforcement or certain relatives.
A judge would be allowed to waive the notice requirement if the girl appears in court and proves maturity or a waiver is in her best interest.
Reporting of specific abortion information to the state would also be required.
Medical professionals violating the law would be subject to suit for 12 years.
If the initiative were to become law, it would result in state administrative costs of at least $1 million and potentially several million dollars annually, according to an analysis prepared by the Legislative Analyst and Department of Finance.
The net fiscal impact on state health and social service programs is uncertain, but is potentially in the millions annually to the extent the measure results in changes to the number of abortions and live births, the analysis found.
Valid signatures from 585,407 registered voters — 8 percent of the total votes cast for governor in the 2014 general election — must be submitted by Aug. 19 to qualify the measure for the ballot, Bowen Padilla.
Similar measures were defeated in 2005, 2006 and 2008.
The low turnout in the November gubernatorial reduced the number of valid signatures to qualify an initiative constitutional amendment for the ballot by 27 percent from 807,615.