Regarding voting on Proposition 73: Abortion is a woman's legal choice, but it is nonetheless a serious medical procedure. And compared with other medical procedures in the United States, it appears that abortion is the most unregulated. My child can't get her ears pierced without my written consent, yet she could get a serious and extremely invasive procedure called an abortion without my consent. She can be taken, by a stranger, to a medical facility that I have not approved of, see a doctor that I know nothing about and have either a medical abortion (where she is given medication that I have not approved of with clear, known possible side effects) or the more invasive procedure, a surgical abortion. If there are complications will I, as a parent, know in time to get help for my child?

Abortion is not like getting your ears pierced; it is a very serious medical procedure that can leave a woman/teen sick for days; if my child has an abortion how will I know why she is sick, will I think she just has a bad case of the flu, will I know if she is having complications from a serious medical procedure? Proposition 73 gives us parents a chance to come alongside our children in a time of huge loss and change in their lives. I do understand that not all parents are "good" parents who will help their pregnant teen in the best way possible. But, I also know that having a stranger help my child make one of the most important decisions of her life (that of taking the life of her unborn baby) should not be left up to school personnel or an abortion counselor that will not spend the rest of their life with my child and who has no real vested interest in her life. Please vote yes on Proposition 73, it is such a simple and sane choice to make for our children.

What will Proposition 73 do if passed into law?

* Mandate that except for medical emergency, no abortion could be performed on an unemancipated minor unless the physician notifies the minor's parent or legal guardian at least 48 hours before the procedure.

* Provide a judicial bypass for cases of physical or sexual abuse by the parent or guardian.

* Allow a minor access to juvenile court if she is being coerced to have an abortion.

* Require the filing of reports with the Department of Health Services by the physicians who perform minor abortions.

* Make publicly available a DHS statistical report on minor abortions that includes numbers by month and county, minors' ages, stages of pregnancy, types of procedures.

What is the rationale for this particular initiative?

* To block the California Supreme Court from ruling "parental notification" unconstitutional. Proposition 73 is both a statute and a constitutional amendment.

* To place abortion law in concert with other laws which grant parents oversight of and responsibility for minors. Minors have never had the full complement of "rights" under constitutional law, e.g., no "privacy right" for obtaining medicine, any other medical procedure, tattoos, body piercing, marriage licenses or admission to the armed services.

* To reduce both teenage pregnancies and abortions. Statistics demonstrate that parental notification laws, even more than parental consent laws, are effective in reducing both pregnancies and abortions.

* To promote family communication and to allow for parental responsibility.

* To appeal to a broad spectrum of the electorate. Polls show that "pro-choice" parents favor this common sense restriction.

* To curb current public school policies which allow school personnel to arrange for a minor's (grades 7-12) abortion without her parent (s)' knowledge. Most parent(s) and guardian(s) are unaware of this state policy.

* To protect minors from coerced abortions. There may be a number of individuals interested in terminating a minor's unwanted pregnancy, including the man who impregnated her and/or her parents or guardians.

* To keep and make publicly-available abortion statistics -- at least for minors. Currently, no abortion records are required.

(Hart lives in Napa.)