Comments Sought On Parental Consent Bill Written Testimony Should Be Sent To Committee Senators Before Friday

Anyone who wants to have a say about a proposed law requiring minors to get a parent’s consent before getting an abortion will have their chance this week.

Sen. Sheila Sorensen, chairman of the Senate State Affairs Committee, has scheduled a hearing on the bill Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. It will take place in Room 437, fourth floor, on the Senate side of the state Capitol in Boise.

Testimony will be taken until 5 p.m., then the nine-member committee will vote. If it approves the bill, the measure will move to the full Senate for consideration, after which it could move to the House and the governor’s desk. If the committee rejects the bill, it dies.

“This is something that is highly charged emotionally,” said Sorensen, R-Boise. “The frustration comes and things go awry if you don’t allow people the opportunity to speak their minds.”

Those wishing to testify will be limited to three minutes. “If I have too many, I’ll have to cut it down to one minute,” Sorensen said.

Sorensen said she has spoken with opponents and proponents of the bill, and both sides seemed well-organized and prepared to make their comments.

Written testimony will be accepted and made part of the record, but senators on the committee may not have much time to read it. Sorensen said any written testimony should be limited to a single page, and should include the writer’s name, home address and phone number. No anonymous comments will be accepted.

To submit written testimony, address it to Sen. Sheila Sorensen, chairman, Senate State Affairs Committee, Idaho State Legislature. Write “Written Testimony on SB 1299” at the top.

Written testimony can be mailed to the committee at State Capitol Building, P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0081. It can also be faxed to (208) 334-5397, or e-mailed to infocntr@lso.state.id.us.

Citizens who want to have a say on the issue also may contact any of the nine senators who will consider the measure Friday. They are: Sorensen, chairman; Sen. Mel Richardson, R-Idaho Falls, vice chairman; Sen. Robert Geddes, R-Soda Springs; Sen. James Risch, R-Boise; Sen. Judi Danielson, R-Council; Sen. Lin Whitworth, D-Inkom; Sen. Betsy Dunklin, D-Boise; Sen. Denton Darrington, R-Declo; and Sen. John Sandy, R-Hagerman.

E-mail messages can be sent to any of the lawmakers at infocntr@lso.state.id.us. They won’t be delivered unless you include your name, home mailing address and phone number. Citizens can also fax messages to individual legislators at the fax number listed above, or can call and leave telephone messages at this toll-free number: (800) 626-0471.

No one from North Idaho serves on the Senate State Affairs Committee, which is made up mainly of Senate leadership members.

The bill, SB 1299, is backed by the Christian Coalition, Senate Republican leadership and Gov. Dirk Kempthorne. It is opposed by groups including Planned Parenthood of Idaho and the Idaho Women’s Network.

To see the bill on the Internet, go to this address: http://www3.state.id.us/oasis/S1299.html.

This sidebar appeared with the story: ONLINE

To see the bill on the Internet, go to this address: http://www3.state.id.us/oasis/S1299.html.