[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 49 (Tuesday, April 28, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S3735]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CHILD CUSTODY PROTECTION ACT

 Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, today I became an official 
cosponsor of S. 1645, the Child Custody Protection Act introduced by 
Senator Abraham. This bill addresses a very critical problem impacting 
our nation's families and their children, abortion. Under this bill, 
adults who take children across state lines to receive an abortion 
without the knowledge of their parents would be committing a federal 
offense.
  Currently, 22 states require parental notification if a minor is 
going to receive an abortion. Yet, each and every day adults help 
thousands of children travel across state lines to receive abortions in 
states which do not require the notification of a parent.
  Being an ardent opponent of abortion, I am gravely concerned about 
the children who are being taken by adults, who are not their parents, 
into different states to receive abortions. This process is wrong and 
must be stopped. We cannot allow adults to circumvent state laws by 
transporting a minor across state lines for an abortion without 
parental consent and involvement.
  The decision to have an abortion is a critical decision, one which I 
personally hope that women of all ages would elect not to have. 
However, despite an individual's personal opinion on abortion, the 
majority of Americans, myself included, believe it is imperative for 
minor children to involve their parents in this life altering decision. 
According to a 1996 Gallup poll, 74 percent of Americans supported 
requiring minors to get parental consent for an abortion. According to 
the Supreme Court, ``the medical, emotional, and psychological 
consequences of an abortion are serious and can be lasting; this is 
particularly so when the patient is immature.'' Clearly, our nation's 
children should not be kept from their parents when making an important 
life decision with such broad ramifications as an abortion.
  This is why I am cosponsoring Senator Abraham's bill, the ``Child 
Custody Protection Act.'' This bill would make it a federal offense to 
transport a minor across state lines with intent to avoid state laws 
requiring parental involvement in a minor's abortion.
  It is my firm belief that we must pass this law and stop people from 
bypassing the laws of our individual states. This legislation protects 
our children from making a life altering decision without the guidance 
of their most trusted advisors, their parents.

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