Senate Votes on Child Custody Protection Act:
Good News and Bad News

Feminists for Life President Serrin M. Foster thanks all members who contacted their Senators regarding the Child Custody Protection Act (S.403). "There is good news and there is bad news," said Foster.

The good news: Child Custody Protection Act passed the U.S. Senate last night (07/25/06), with the support of both Democrats and Republicans, on a vote of 65-34. The Act would prohibit taking a minor across state lines for an abortion in order to circumvent state laws requiring parental notification.

During the floor debate, the only amendment added to the bill was a compromise amendment agreed to by the bill's sponsor, Senator John Ensign (R-NV), and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA). This amendment passed by a vote of 98-0 and ensures the bill does not protect those committing incest. Senator Feinstein (D-CA) did not introduce her amendment that would have permitted clergy and grandparents to transport minors across state lines for an abortion.

The bad news: Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the assistant Democratic leader, objected moving the bill to a conference committee, where the Senate can reconcile their bill with the previously passed House version (H.R. 748). Due to this—despite wide bipartisan support in the House and Senate—both bills are now stalled in their respective chambers.

"Although passage of the Child Custody Protection Act is a great victory, teenage girls still don't have the protection they deserve," said Foster. "The lives of young girls will be irrevocably changed as they are transported across state lines by a non-custodial adult for a secret abortion. Girls deserve better—and America knows it. We will persevere."

The official vote count on S.403 can be found at http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_109_2.htm.

Feminists for Life is proud to have actively championed the Violence Against Women Act, Child Support Enforcement Act, and Laci and Connor's Law. Feminists for Life is also working to pass the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Pregnant and Parenting Student Act.

Feminists Urge Senate to Pass Child Custody Protection Act

Girls Deserve Better than Abortion

Feminists for Life applauds the U.S. Senate for considering the Child Custody Protection Act, and encourages its ultimate passage. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D., (R-TN) announced July 19, 2006, that the bill will be given time on the U.S. Senate floor this week.

If passed, the Child Custody Protection Act would prohibit taking a minor across state lines for an abortion in order to circumvent state laws requiring parental notification.

“It is all too common for sex predators to seek vulnerable young girls—and when a pregnancy results, abortion has been used to cover up their crime,” said FFL President Serrin M. Foster. “Without the input of a custodial adult, teens risk their health. Will a sex predator ensure she takes her antibiotic as directed after surgery?

“Boyfriends are typically no more helpful,” said Foster. “Do we really believe that he will take her take her promptly to the hospital if she hemorrhages? What if she becomes septic?”

Fifteen year-old Tamia Russell died in 2004 as a result of an abortion performed in the sixth month of her pregnancy. The sister of Russell’s 24 year-old boyfriend drove her to obtain the abortion, for which her boyfriend paid. Russell’s mother was not informed before the procedure, and misinformation from the clinic led to Russell’s death from sepsis. (Read Tamia's story in the Spring 2004 issue of The American Feminist.)

‘”How many teenagers have to die before we protect them and give them the resources and support they need?” Foster asked. “Teenage girls who are too afraid to tell their parents will put their health on the line when they experience complications from an abortion—and those who prey on teens know it.”

Dr. Bruce Lucero, a pro-choice advocate who performed more than 45,000 abortions, lobbied alongside Foster in support of the bill when CCPA was first introduced. “[I]n most cases,” he wrote to the New York Times in 1998, “a parent’s input is the best guarantee that a teen-ager will make a decision that is correct for her…. And it helps guarantee that if a teen-ager chooses an abortion, she will receive appropriate medical care.” Teenagers seeking abortions out of state, Lucero noted, often delay until the procedure is more expensive and riskier, and they are less likely to return to clinics for follow-up care or tell their parents they are suffering complications.

“The best interest of girls and the rights of parents are not at odds here,” Foster said. “That’s why the majority of Americans favor laws supporting parental notification, and laws prohibiting the transportation of minors across state lines by those who wish to usurp the law. The health and safety of girls across the land is at stake here,” she added. “We need the Senate to pass the Child Custody Protection Act.”

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