*******************REMINDER THIS VOTING SEASON*******************************

NO on MEASURE 43, Be aware of bad legistlation

So I spent a part of my weekend (two weekends ago) volunteering at the Clackamas County fair for Planned Parenthood and it is something I must share. I sat in a booth and watched people walk by and as they read planned parenthood sign they would either come forward and ask why we were there or they would squinch their nose up and try to walk away. At first I have to admit, I was happy to see the squinchy faced people walk away. I wasn't sure what my purpose was there except to support Planned Parenthood and support the right to choose.

But after an hour of watching the coordinater, Samantha, take on people, aggressively asking almost everyone that passed by whether they were Pro-choice (FYI Clackamas county is VERY conservative. Some analysts say that their voters were the deciding factor in passing the Anti-Gay marriage bill. They are majority right wing republican and Pro-Life.) I started to understand why we were there. We were NOT there to change anybodies minds. A short conversation at a County fair is not going to overturn deep felt moral opinions. We were there to oppose a very badly written, unsafe, unrealistic initiative that is on the ballot in October. It's called Ballot Measure 43.

NON-OREGONIANS: There are 43 other states dealing with measure much the same as this one. California is fighting the same initiative and they are predicting it will pass. Please, check it out in your area.

Here's some info on the initiative: "On July 25, the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office certified that a mandated parental notification measure will be on the November ballot. This is a near replica of the notification measure that Oregonians rejected in 1990. Like that measure, this initiative would change Oregon law to prohibit an older teen who is 15, 16, or 17 year old from seeking abortion care from a medical professional unless a parent receives a mandatory written notification letter at least 48 hours in advance. There are no exceptions for rape and incest and doctors could be sued if the parent doesn’t get the notification letter. Current Oregon law requires minors 14 years old or younger to obtain parental consent before any treatment.

1. Measure 43 isn’t written for the real world Not every child is raised in a stable, healthy household – news reports about abuse and sexual assault from family members confirm this almost every day. Requiring notice to the very people who may be responsible for the assault makes a bad situation worse. Troubled teens at risk need a counselor, or a doctor, not a judge, and not a notice in the mail to the abusive parent.

2. Measure 43 could drive a troubled teen to put their health in jeopardy Desperate teens that live in homes filled with abuse or violence could put their lives and health in jeopardy by seeking illegal abortions from unlicensed providers.

3. Measure 43 is unworkable If a teen wants to bypass the notification provision, she is required to go through a bureaucratic process run by the Department of Human Services that requires her to plead her case before an administrative law judge, who can take two weeks to reach a decision. Administrative law judges usually deal with permits and license disputes, and aren’t even required to be lawyers.

4. Measure 43 is not necessary Oregon’s teen pregnancy rate has declined by 39% over the past ten years as a result of strong prevention and education programs. And surveys have shown that 75% of teens voluntarily consult a parent when faced with an unwanted pregnancy."

First of all. VOTE. Second of all VOTE NO ON MEASURE 43. This measure is NOT about whether you are Pro-Life or Pro-Choice. It's about abuse of the system, protecting teens, forcing the government to be a parent, and it's really about fanaticism out of check. You can be a check and balance with your vote.

Oregon Right to Life is not really pushing this in the media because they don't want to activate Pro-Choice voters. They are hoping this measure slides by because People will say "Hey, a parent should know when their Child is going to have an Abortion". But that is not the issue. Parents who have good relationships with their kids WILL KNOW about their kids wanting an abortion. My mother is the first person I go to when I have a big problem and she always has been. This Measure will only serve to hurt kids (kids that can't vote, by the way) who have bad relationship with their parents, are unable to afford health care because of their financial or social situation and those that are put into a horrible, humiliating situation. THERE IS NO EXEMPTION FOR RAPE OR INCEST. This means that a girl could be raped by her father and she will have to go to her father to have him sign off of the abortion.

Please vote, get the word out. ESPECIALLY, talk to people who are Pro-Life. Don't shame them or try to get into a moral battle. Just explain why this measure will not serve any good and actually will hurt our society and add more red tape. Republican values are set on less government. This measure is trying to make the government a parent. No one should agree with it.