way

Senator Way

I am a Senator from Minnesota. I was born and raised in this state and I do everything I can to represent my home town. I have strong views and make them clear and well known to my constituents as well as fellow senators. I am a moderate republican and I am pro choice.

My stance on abortion: I feel that abortion is a moral issue. Many Americans are against it but they stand on a moral side that understands that a child is born at conception. If one woman’s morals forces her to raise a child she doesn't want then that is her decision. The point is that it should be her decision. Whether the woman is for or against terminating her pregnancy that is the choice that she has to make under a few regulations. I feel that an abortion should be legal. It is not my choice to tell what women can and cannot do. I stand strongly behind allowing abortions to be legal, though I hope to find ways to continue to lower unwanted pregnancies and abortion rates through contraception and involvement of minor’s parents.

My Bill: I want to introduce a bill into congress along with Senator Tillery from Hawaii. Together we are going to create a bill with the purpose to decrease the rate of teenage abortions across the nation and to promote more responsible and informed teenage decision.

Statistics: In 2004 statistics show that 27.4% of legal abortions were teenagers 20 of the 50 states require parental consent 14 of the 50 states require parental notification

The state with the highest abortion rates is New York (statistics from 2005) The state of New York is one of the 8 states that do not require any parental involvement. With these facts I believe that forcing minors to involve their parents will lower the rate of abortions.
 * 125,000 abortions per year
 * 507 abortions per every 1000 live births

The state with the lowest abortion rates is Wyoming (statistics from 2005)
 * 12 abortions per year

**The Senate** **1st Session** **S.** A Bill to promote more responsible teenage decisions; thereby decreasing teenage abortion rates Sponsored by Senator Way of Minnesota & Senator Tillery of Hawaii Co-Sponsored by Senator Ortkiese of New York A Bill A Bill to promote more responsible teenage decisions; thereby decreasing teenage abortion rates //Be it enacted by the Members of the McG Congress// //of the United States of America in Congress assembled,// This Act may be cited as the “Ending the Lone Decision: Compulsory Consent” o Of all the teenage pregnancies in 2004, 27.4 became legal abortions o By 2006, 40/1000 15-19 year old girls were impregnated o In 2005, 16% of abortions were performed on 15-19 year old teenagers o Of the 50 states: o 20 require consent only before receiving an abortion o 14 require parental notification before receiving an abortion o 8 do not require any parental involvement o 8 have a court order blocking policy that is not in effect o In 2005: Abortions that were given to women of ages 15-45 (read the following bullet points) o States that do NOT require parental consent: Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine (stats from 2005) o Oregon · 11,500 abortions per year · 251 abortions per every 1000 live births · 10% are done out of state o Washington · 24,600 abortions per year · 302 abortions per every 1000 live births · 5% are done out of state o New York (most abortions in the country) o 125,000 abortions per year o 507 abortions per every 1000 live births o Connecticut o 12,100 abortions per year o 290 abortions per every 1000 live births o 3% done out of state o States that require notification: Kansas, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, Georgia, Florida, West Virginia, Maryland, New Hampshire, Delaware (stats from 2005) o Florida o 92,500 abortions per year o 409 per every 1000 live births o Kansas/Colorado o 11,000 abortions per years o 169-262 abortions per 1000 live births o Kansas – 47% out of state o States that require consent: Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, South and North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, North Dakota, and Wyoming o Arizona o 10,700 abortions per year o 111 per every 1000 live births o Arkansas o 4,700 abortions per year o 120 per every 1000 live births o Missouri o 8,000 abortions per year o 101 per every 1000 live births o Mississippi o 3,000 abortions per year o 72 per every 1000 live births o North Dakota o 1,200 abortion per year o 147 per every 1000 live births o Wyoming o 12 abortions per year! o Generalizations from the above stats: o Abortion rates tend to be lower in the states that require parental consent or notification o Abortion rates tend to be higher in the states that require no parental consent
 * IN THE MCGEHEE CONGRESS**
 * April, 2009**
 * SECTION 1.** Ending the Lone Decision: Compulsory Consent
 * SECTION 2. FINDINGS** General advantages that come with this bill:
 * Mandatory parental consent will decrease abortion rates and encourage more responsible, advised decisions
 * Mandatory parental consent for all states will stop pregnant teenage girls of the current parental consent states from leaving their state and going to another state (one that does not require parental consent) in order to receive an abortion
 * Minors will not be left alone to decide whether or not they should receive an abortion
 * Consent will promote relationships between teenage girls and their guardians
 * Females 17 years of age and older are trusted to make responsible decisions on their own, though parental notification is encouraged
 * Specific information:


 * SECTION 3: PURPOSE** A Bill created to decrease the rate of teenage abortions across the nation and to promote more responsible and informed teenage decisions
 * SECTION 4. ELIGIBILITY**: N/A
 * SECTION 5. TERMS AND BENEFITS OF SERVICE ** (1) Females 16 and younger will be forced to gain parental consent upon the request of an abortion (2) A Parent is considered a biological birth mother and or father as well as a legal guardian (3) consent from at least one parental figure is mandatory (4) Parental consent may be surpassed by a judge’s approval or by the professional decision of a doctor (5) a doctor allowing a female 16 years or younger to obtain an abortion without notifying a parent when notification was a possibility will receive a year in jail and a suspended license upon release (6) When parental consent is unavailable or the pregnant teen is viable to death or serious illness the doctor may perform an abortion without parental consent or notification based on his or her own finding