Cliff Stearns: “I rise of course in support of H.R. 476, the Child Custody Protection Act. Unfortunately, in May of 2000, Florida's…”

“I rise of course in support of H.R. 476, the Child Custody Protection Act. Unfortunately, in May of 2000, Florida's parental notification laws were challenged in circuit court and a permanent injunction was granted. So we in Florida are very much involved with this debate. To give amnesty to those who manipulate State laws by crossing into States without parental notification laws, in my opinion the people who support this bill, it is irresponsible and a misguided use of the law. When we talk about this law, we are talking about safety here. To leave parents out of such a serious decision for the child with potentially long-term medical, emotional and psychological consequences is to jeopardize the health of the child. So when we talk about the Fugitive Slave Act or we talk about commerce, we are missing the point. We are talking about safety. To leave parents out of this decision for minors, in my opinion, is irresponsible. Some seem to suggest that most parents are not being reasonable but their primary concern is their teenaged daughter. One study has shown that up to two-thirds of the school-aged mothers were impregnated by adult males. These men could be prosecuted under State statutory rape laws, giving them a strong incentive to pressure the young woman to agree to an abortion without involving her parents. Let us put this into perspective. A child must have parental consent to be given an aspirin.”