Rae Oliver Davis: “as a father with four daughters, the safety and well-being of young women are among my absolute priorities. The Child…”

“as a father with four daughters, the safety and well-being of young women are among my absolute priorities. The Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act is not a bill that affects a minor's right to have an abortion. It is a bill that protects young women from being pressured into having an abortion. The legislation requires that abortion providers provide 24-hour notice to one of the minor's parents or legal guardians before the procedure is performed. Abortion is already taking one life. We have a duty to protect the lives of the young girls forced to have these procedures. Kentucky is among the Commonwealths and States that have parental involvement laws for minors seeking an abortion. An overwhelming majority of Americans support these laws, and parents, unlike those taking a young girl over State lines for the procedures, have the girl's best interests at heart. The decision to end the life of an unborn child is not one that should be made by a frightened young girl forced into a clinic. Too often the men transporting the girls are either abusive boyfriends or men who have committed rape and are trying to dispose of the evidence. These predators should not be given the opportunity to circumvent State law and circumvent a girl's parents. The House has passed legislation similar to this in the past, and we find ourselves here again supporting a bill that will protect young women.…”