I cannot think of a single instance where this law will be beneficial. What about situations of child abuse? Sexual abuse? Incest? Did they not think of that? Are the representatives so sheltered that they think this does not exist in North Dakota?
“I’ve never seen an issue that’s hard to address
get easier by putting it off,” said Rep. Chuck Damschen, R-Hampden. “It
drives a wedge between the daughter and the parents, and we don’t want
that.”
Have you completely lost it? What if the father got her pregnant in the first place? What if the parents are nothing but drug addicts that are not even capable of caring for themselves?
North Dakota law already allows children 14
years old and older to seek confidential treatment for sexually
transmitted diseases, alcoholism or drug addiction.
Are we not going backwards from previous legislation?
“Unfortunately, all we need is one problem
pregnancy, and we risk the life of an unborn child,” said Rep. Lee
Kaldor, D-Mayville. “We need to do whatever we can to protect the
unborn child and the mother.”
OK, what about the majority of teens that will just not seek prenatal care instead of telling their parents? What type of jeopardy does that place the unborn child in then? Do these legislators even read the bills before signing them into law? I bet the only one read with scrutiny is the bill dealing with their annual raises.
Please legislators fill me in on why this will help pregnant teenagers.
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