COMMENTARY: Nevada abortion advocates target parental rights

Lawmakers will soon deliberate on legislation that determines life and death for Nevada parents. A dark day is looming over Nevada.

State Sen. Yvonna Cancela, D-Las Vegas has proposed a measure that would remove parental notification requirements in abortions involving minors.

Doctors currently have to notify parents and obtain consent when a minor is seeking an abortion. Eliminating this requirement will diminish parental rights in the state and will potentially lead to a rise in the unreported sexual abuse of minors.

There is no argument. Senate Bill 179 will undermine the decision-making rights of parents in the medical welfare of their children. Minors will be able to obtain a potentially dangerous abortion procedure without their parents’ knowledge. A startling dichotomy will be created: School nurses are required to get parental consent to give a minor an aspirin. Yet a doctor will be allowed to perform an abortion without parental involvement. Who do parents trust more — the school nurse or a Planned Parenthood abortion doctor?

These life-and-death decisions should be left to Nevada parents.

Any proponent of removing parental notification must admit that this will set a dangerous precedent for Nevada families and taxpayers. Parents are legally and financially responsible for their children. If an abortion procedure performed on a minor without parental consent has any psychological or medical complications, can we expect the state of Nevada to provide financial compensation? The answer is no. Nevada parents will be fully liable for the well-being of their child, even if they did not consent to a life-and-death abortion procedure.

SB 179 also promotes the rights of abusers and sex traffickers. Teenage girls who are impregnated by horrible cases of rape or incest can be forced to have an abortion by their rapists without parental knowledge. Sex traffickers will have state protection in forced abortions on victims of trafficking. Nevada parents and law enforcement would lose a valuable tool in confronting these disturbing acts and protecting these children. Why should we give up our ability to protect and empower our most vulnerable against these unspeakable abusers? More cases of rape will go unreported, and Nevada parents will not be aware of these life-and-death situations.

Nevada’s trajectory will be clear if state Sen. Cancela and Nevada Democrats are successful in passing SB179. Nevada will follow the radical and controversial steps codified by other states such as New York and Oregon. New York recently passed legislation that legalizes abortions all the way up to birth; the taxpayers of Oregon are providing state-subsidized abortions to anyone looking to terminate an unborn child.

These policies must not be accepted in Nevada. It is apparent with modern scientific technology that the first spark of life occurs at conception — that life is worth protecting and should be guaranteed the inherent, constitutional right of existence.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has a moral obligation to protect all life and prevent this attack on parental rights in Nevada. If SB179 lands on his desk, it is his duty to veto it and set a clear precedent. Nevada must stand for life and not diminish the rights of parents.

Jacob Deaville writes from Las Vegas.