If enacted into law, Bill 323, introduced by Sen. Dennis Rodriguez Jr., will require physicians to obtain a written notarized consent from the parent or legal guardian of a female minor under the age of 18 before an abortion can be performed.
Current statute allows female minors to seek medical care for services relative to the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, AIDS, pregnancy and substance abuse without parental consent.
However, the statute states: “It shall not include surgery or any treatment to induce abortion.”
Rodriguez acknowledged this, but he also said the current statute is “very vague.”
“My bill makes it clear what we’re looking for. We want to make sure that if a minor is going to get that procedure done, they’re going to get parental consent first,” Rodriguez said.
During the public hearing on Bill 323, Telo Taitague, the governor’s liaison to the Legislature, testified in full support of the bill on behalf of Calvo.
“Obviously, I am opposed to the double standard in our justice system that says, basically, all life is precious except the lives of babies in the womb,” read Taitague. “Roe v. Wade is wrong. It is inhumane. Since 1973, it has allowed and sometimes celebrated the legal infanticide of millions of innocent children. When I say ‘legal,’ I mean by man’s law; for there is no moral authority that justifies abortion.”
Calvo also testified that the bill will balance out the parental consent requirement for any surgical procedure. He said that under current law, a 17-year-old will be denied elective surgery without parental consent.
Favor for the bill poured in throughout the night as each person who testified provided reasons for why the legislation is needed.
For example, some stated that minors cannot volunteer to be organ donors on driver’s license applications without parental consent and yet can get an abortion on demand.
In another written testimony, Guam resident Mary Lou Garcia-Pereda said even the dispensing of prescribed medications on school campuses requires parental consent.
In his testimony, Calvo also implored senators to act on two anti-abortion related bills he submitted to the Legislature in January.
“Senators, every day that goes by without action on these measures is a day when the life of a child could have been saved,” the governor testified.
