EDITORIAL: Democrats’ pregnant pause

The Nevada Legislature was eager to line up behind Gov. Brian Sandoval against bullying — and in support of same-day notification for parents if a school receives a report that a child has been picked on, tormented or battered.

Senate Bill 504 passed the Assembly 36-6 and the Senate 18-1 this month, and Gov. Sandoval signed it into law. Just one Democrat, Assemblywoman Dina Neal of North Las Vegas, voted against the bill that holds school officials accountable if they fail to notify parents that their child was bullied. It was heartening to see lawmakers in both parties united behind the idea that if a kid is in crisis and grown-ups know about it, parents have an absolute right to be notified so they can be there for their child.

But changing the subject of the bill from bullying to abortion makes Democrats do a 180-degree turn regarding a parent’s right to know. Assembly Bill 405, which would require parents to be notified if a daughter under age 18 seeks an abortion, passed the Legislature’s lower chamber 24-17, with all 17 Democrats voting no. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee considered the bill Monday, and the holiday hearing featured passionate arguments in favor of allowing girls to keep their parents in the dark when they want to terminate a pregnancy through surgery.

In fact, Nevada girls still would be able to get abortions without telling their parents under AB405. They can seek court approval to block disclosure in extreme cases, such as when they might face physical abuse from family who found out.

And AB405 would not require parental consent for a daughter under age 18 to get an abortion — it would only require that parents be told. It would still be more burdensome for anyone under age 18 to get a tattoo. Southern Nevada Health District regulations require parents to provide written consent and show proper identification before a juvenile can be tattooed, and no one under age 14 can get a tattoo unless a medical professional provides supervision.

We wonder, would the Legislature’s Democrats vote to rescind those regulations? Would they argue that juveniles should be able to make unrestricted decisions about their bodies and undergo a painful procedure that carries a risk of infection without telling their parents?

They would when it comes to abortion.

If parents must be notified about bullying, why not abortions? Surgery can bring complications. Patients need time to recover, physically and emotionally. Yet an abortion clinic can send a girl home to her parents without telling them she just had surgery.

It’s amazing that AB405, which is much less restrictive than some of the abortion parental notification laws in place in 38 states, is so controversial. For heaven’s sake, juveniles cannot be unaccompanied on the Strip after 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays — but they can have abortions without telling their parents?

A girl’s parents can have less influence on her decision to have an abortion than her boyfriend or her boyfriend’s parents. That’s bad policy. Parents need to know when their children are in crisis. The Legislature should pass AB405.