CWA Urges House to Again Pass Bill that Upholds Parental Rights and Safety of Young Girls, and Asks the Senate to Follow Suit
Contact: Stacey Holliday, Concerned Women for America, 202-488-7000 ext. 126
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 /Christian Newswire/ -- Concerned Women for America (CWA) urges the U.S. House of Representatives to again pass the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA), H.R. 748, introduced by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida). The House passed this same legislation last year, but it has not been signed into law because the Senate has been holding hostage its counterpart bill, the Child Custody Protection Act (CCPA), S.403. CIANA and CCPA would impose criminal penalties on any adult who transports a minor girl across state borders in order to avoid parental notification laws for abortion in the girl’s home state.
“The Senate needs to stop playing partisan politics so that these crucial bills can be signed into law and start protecting young pregnant girls,” said Lanier Swann, CWA’s Director of Government Relations. “Time and time again the House passes this bill, and time and time again it gets blocked in the Senate. There is no excuse. If Senators truly have young girls’ best interest at heart, they will follow the example of the House and work to agree on final passage and send this issue to the President’s desk for his signature.
“Poll after poll illustrates the overwhelming support for parental notification laws. This is a key issue for voters back home -- states represented by some of the very senators who are blocking this would-be law’s progress.
“This is not a topic to play games with. Battling over the right of parents to play a role in a potential life altering and life threatening procedure isn’t fodder for political antics.
“We implore both sides of the aisle to follow the bi-partisanship displayed by the margin of victory in both chambers and move forward so the President can sign a strong bill into law. All across the country parents and their young daughters are counting on Congress to put aside their differences and move forward.”
Concerned Women for America is the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization.
