Speaker Hastert's Divisive Politics Put Punishment Over Prevention

Washington, DC— Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, called the last-minute passage of the so-called "Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act" (CIANA) an irresponsible action that will do nothing to protect young women's safety or improve family communication.  It is a desperate political ploy that shows that anti-choice congressional leadership is out of step with Americans' priorities.

This divisive and controversial anti-choice bill would virtually eliminate young women's right to choose through a crazy patchwork of rules and regulations with no exceptions to protect women's health. 

"Pro-choice Americans believe that teens in trouble should talk to their parents, and thankfully, most do.  However, if they can't, for whatever reason, we want them to be safe," Keenan said.  "This bill will serve only to isolate young women looking for help.  The American public wants teen pregnancy prevented, not punished."

Facts about the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act:

• It would impose an impossibly complex patchwork of parental-involvement laws on women and doctors across the country, making it practically impossible for young women to access abortion care in another state.  Because only 13 percent of U.S. counties have an abortion provider, for many young women the closest provider is in a neighboring state.
• It would impose criminal penalties on anyone other than a parent – including a grandparent, aunt, or religious counselor – who accompanies a young woman for abortion care in another state.  This bill has no exception for teens who turn to another responsible adult because of violence at home, or in situations of rape or incest. 
• Not only is the bill unconstitutional, it would impose criminal penalties on doctors who make an honest or inadvertent mistake in complying with one of the many complicated provisions.

Keenan noted that today's vote further exposes how out of touch anti-choice leaders are with the American people's priorities.

"It's clear that anti-choice congressional leaders are using this controversial legislation to rally their far-right base only a few weeks before the mid-term election," Keenan said.  "Unfortunately, these irresponsible political games will have the most chilling and dangerous effect on our most vulnerable teens.  If anti-choice members of Congress really wanted to protect our young people, they would stop playing divisive political games and bring up votes on commonsense measures to prevent unintended pregnancies and reduce the need for abortion." 

Contact:
Ted Miller, 202.973.3032