"Parents are being
deprived of their rights and responsibilities by the federal Title
X program; it is time they demand that Congress change the law,"
said Ed Szymkowiak, national director of STOPP International, a
project of American Life League.
One bill before Congress is H.R. 4783. It, however, would only
allow states to require parental notice or consent before a minor
gets prescription contraception. The sweetener for state
governments is that the bill guarantees that parental involvement
requirements would not jeopardize any federal aid, such as Title X.
Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas introduced the bill. It has nine
cosponsors.
"The results under H.R. 4783 would be a patchwork of state laws
across the country. Some states would require parental consent
without judicial bypass, some would require nothing, with all
shades of gray in between," said Szymkowiak. "A better approach is
to have Congress restrict Title X itself so that it mandates
parental notification. That was the goal of the Istook-Manzullo
amendment that was proposed, but never implemented, in the late
1990s."
The Supreme Court has already upheld the constitutionality of
restricting Title X in the 1991 case of Rust vs. Sullivan.
"Of course, the best approach of all would be eliminating the
Title X population control program completely, because it provides
contraception which, in and of itself, is immoral," said
Szymkowiak. "Many Title X provided contraceptives act sometimes to
prevent the implantation of 5 to 7 day old human beings, thus
killing them. U.S. taxpayers should not be forced to fund such
killings."
Release issued: 27 Aug 02
