[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 52 (Tuesday, April 26, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H2481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   PARENTS DESERVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, a woman from my district came to Washington 
last month to tell Congress about how her daughter was taken to New 
Jersey for an abortion without her knowledge. This mom knew about her 
14-year-old daughter's pregnancy. Her daughter had chosen to keep the 
baby and was attending prenatal classes.
  But the boyfriend's family, according to her testimony, ``planned, 
paid for, coerced, harassed, and threatened her into having an 
abortion. They left her alone during the abortion and went to eat 
lunch.''
  About 80 percent of the public favors parental notification laws. 
Over 30 States have enacted such laws. As in the case of my 
constituent, these laws are often evaded by interstate transportation 
of minors, and it is often openly encouraged in advertising by abortion 
providers.
  This week, the House will consider legislation that merely says that 
in States that protect a parent's right to know, taking a young girl 
across State lines will not keep the parent in the dark. The bill would 
make it a Federal offense to transport a minor across State lines to 
circumvent that State's abortion parental notification laws. In 
addition, the bill requires that in a State without parental 
notification, abortion providers are required to notify a parent.
  I urge support of the bill.

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