Salem — Protect Our Teen Daughters, a grassroots group organized to place a Parental Notification statutory measure on the fall ballot appears headed for a sure vote in November. The group has gathered well over the 75,630 signatures necessary to qualify for the ballot by turning in 115,845 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office today.

This notification measure would require that parents be informed 48 hours before their 15, 16 or 17 year old daughter undergoes an abortion procedure in Oregon.   The measure does not prevent the young girl from having the abortion.

“It would have made a difference if my parents would have known. I could have used their support to make such an important decision,” said Felicia Bautista, a now 20 year old young woman who had a secret abortion when she was 15. “I’m supporting this campaign because I know there are other girls out there just like me who need the care of their parents.” 

Brenda Cochran, a chief petition and mother to Felicia also agreed, “ I was shocked and devastated when I found out that my daughter had gone through the experience of an abortion all by herself at the age of 15.   A parental notification law would have let me be there for her then and when this law passes it will let parents like me in Oregon care for their daughters.

The Committee to Protect Our Teen Daughters does not expect there to be a problem with having enough signatures to qualify for getting the initiative on the ballot due to the large amount of signatures they acquired during this part of the campaign.

“We’re 100% positive that we have the support of Oregonians. Parents and voters believe that daughters need to be protected and this will be the year we make it happen,” said Sarah Nashif, campaign manager for the Protect Our Teen Daughters campaign. “ Parental notification is not a pro-life or pro-choice issue; it is a parental right issue and is common sense. We know that Oregonians agree.”

In 2005, a Moore Information poll surveyed Oregonians and the results showed a 74% to 21% support for a parental notification law in our state.

The Secretary of State’s office has one month to certify the signatures and determine if this measure qualifies for the November ballot.

To learn more about the Protect Our Teen Daughters campaign, please visit: http://www.protectourteendaughters.com/