The Wisconsin Right to Life Committee won a major victory last week when the U.S. House of Representatives passed an act that would make it a felony to knowingly transport minors residing in states with parental consent or notification laws across state lines to get abortions.
The House passed the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act April 27, hoping to prevent circumvention of state laws.
Given that Wisconsin currently has parental notification laws in effect, Susan Armacost, legislative director of Wisconsin Right to Life, said she thinks the bill will prohibit \what we believe occurs-minors going down to Illinois to circumvent our own parental consent law.""
""We're very hopeful this bill will become law,"" Armacost said. ""It has to go through the Senate, but we know that President Bush will sign it into law.""
""Parents are the people who should be involved in the lives of their children and we shouldn't be having older boyfriends or employees of abortion clinics taking them across state lines for abortions,"" Armacost said.
However, other Wisconsin political and activist figures said they disagree.
""You can't legislate good family relationships where there are none-if you have abusive parents, if you are the victim of incest,"" said Kelda Helen Roys, executive director of National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League and Pro-Choice Wisconsin.
U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, said she voted against this bill because it inhibits young women from confronting parents about unintended pregnancies if they are in abusive family situations.
""I believe there must be some sort of exception in these cases,"" Baldwin said, ""and this legislation provided no exception for these rare and tragic instances.""
While the act lists exceptions for minors who are victims of violence and incest, a minor must declare she is in this situation in a signed statement presented to the out-of-state physician, who must then notify in-state authorities of familial neglect.
""This bill is especially heinous ... because it imposes criminal penalties on any loving family member, on doctors, a taxi driver,"" Roys said, ""and all these people are supposed to magically know which state laws to follow. It would force you basically to carry the laws of your home state with you wherever you went.""
Regarding how the act could affect Illinois-Wisconsin relations, Armacost said she did not think there would be any difference at all in terms of the two states getting along, but Roys said she believes otherwise.
""This could really have a devastating effect on doctors, on all sides of the borders, having to basically interrogate their patients about legal questions essentially, about where the patient's a legal resident,"" Roys said.
Doctors without Wisconsin policies on hand could face criminal penalties for performing an abortion on a minor without notifying proper state authorities beforehand, in an emergency or otherwise, according to Roys.
The U.S. Senate will likely vote on the bill when it resumes activity on May 9.
