Sylvester Turner: “I am pleased to co-sponsor H.R. 748, the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act. This bill makes it a Federal…”

“I am pleased to co-sponsor H.R. 748, the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act. This bill makes it a Federal offense to knowingly transport a minor across State lines with the intent to circumvent parental notification laws so that the minor can obtain an abortion. It is imperative that we stop the victimization of young girls who are transported across State lines to undergo abortions without their parents' knowledge. Not only does this practice endanger the lives of our daughters, imagine how parents would feel if their daughter was transported across State lines without their knowledge and pressured to have an unwanted abortion. Across the country, officials must obtain parental consent before performing routine medical services such as providing aspirin, and before including children in field trips and contact sports. Some States require written parental consent before a minor can get a tattoo or a body piercing. Despite all this, in some States people other than parents can secretly take minor girls across State lines for abortions. Mr. Chairman, the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act protects the rights of parents to be involved in the medical decisions of their minor daughters and protects the health and safety of young girls by preventing valid constitutional State parental involvement laws from being circumvented. I am pleased to support this bill, which protects our daughters and supports our families.”