Fla. judge gets one right - upholds parental notification law

Another step in the right direction:

Florida's law requiring doctors to notify parents if their daughters 17 and under seek abortions was upheld Friday by a federal judge who cited a U.S. Supreme Court decision last month on a similar statute in New Hampshire.

Senior U.S. District Judge William Stafford in July refused to stop enforcement of the Florida law, which took effect June 30, pending the challenge from Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, clinics in Orlando, Daytona Beach and Jacksonville and two doctors.

Their claims included arguments that the law is unconstitutionally vague, violates due process rights of doctors and minors seeking abortions and impermissibly burdens various rights of pregnant girls.

``Florida has carefully crafted a parental notification statute that serves a compelling state interest,'' Stafford said. He noted the Supreme Court, in the New Hampshire decision, wrote that states have a right to require parental involvement because of their ``strong and legitimate interest in the welfare'' of minors who may lack the maturity, experience or judgment to chose whether to have an abortion.

Source

It boggles my mind how liberals think abortion should be the only medical procedure that is exempt from parental notificaton and consent. We don't even let minors have their teeth cleaned by a dentist without parental notification and consent! What gives?