Texas House Delays Debate on Bill Requiring Parental Consent for Minors Seeking Abortion; Deadline for Approval Thursday

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 15 May 2005 - 7:00 PDT

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The Texas House on Tuesday postponed debate on a bill... (HB 1212) that would require parental consent for minors seeking abortion because Democrats found a "technical error" in the measure, the Dallas Morning News reports. An incorrect name on the list of bill sponsors meant that debate on the bill had to be delayed until at least Thursday at 12 p.m. The state House's deadline to approve all legislation is 12 a.m. Friday morning (Brooks, Dallas Morning News, 5/10). The measure would require abortion providers to gain parental consent before performing the procedure on a minor but would allow minors to obtain a judicial bypass to avoid parental consent. The measure also would make it a crime for parents or any other person to force a minor to undergo an abortion. Under current state law, parents of minors seeking abortion must be notified 48 hours before the procedure (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 4/27). Proponents of the legislation, sponsored by state Rep. Phil King (R), say the bill upholds parents' rights to protect their children and intervene in medical decisions, while opponents say the current parental notification law -- which was passed in 1999 -- is "harsh enough," according to the Morning News. King said if he found any other "deadly errors" in the bill or if state House Democrats raised any valid points of order during the debate, he would pull the measure from consideration so that the House can consider other legislation, the Morning News reports (Dallas Morning News, 5/10). King has filed similar bills in 1999, 2001 and 2003, but none has been approved (Grissom, AP/WOAI.com, 5/10).

"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/repro The Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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