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The Knights of Columbus, which has more than 61,000 members in California, will support the drive to gather signatures in support of the "Parents' Right to Know" ballot initiative in the state, SupremeHelp With Ballot Knight Carl A. Anderson has announced.
The initiative would amend California's constitution to require that doctors give 48 hours' notice to a parent or guardian before performing an abortion on a minor. The required two-day "reflection period" would ensure that parents have a realistic opportunity to consult with their daughter and explore her options before she makes an irrevocable decision.
California Knights of Columbus State Deputy Robert Rodriguez sent a letter to all of the organization's members in the state, urging them to "wholeheartedly support this initiative," and help to gather signatures to ensure that the measure gets on the ballot. The deadline for submitting 598,105 valid signatures is April 14 and organizers of the effort have sent a goal of getting at least 900,000 signatures to ensure that there will be more than enough to survive challenges or disqualifications. "Time is of the essence, and I ask you to please take immediate action," Rodriguez said in his letter.
Anderson noted that the California legislature had passed a parental consent law in 1987. "But a decade-long legal battle, followed by a bizarre California Supreme Court decision, made it necessary to amend the state constitution in order to accomplish what a simple statute should have been able to do 17 years ago," he said.
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