In an electronic age where news and information is just a click away, it’s hard to believe that California still harbors its own dirty little secret —a secret that Planned Parenthood spends millions of dollars trying to keep under the radar: Sexual predators and older boyfriends—emboldened by the fact that the Golden State does not have a parental notification law—are free to prey on minor girls knowing they can easily get rid of  “the evidence” in the event of a pregnancy. So how many minors have abortions in California? We don’t know for sure because that’s a secret, too. Although the Centers for Disease Control tracks abortion statistics nationwide, California is one of only three states that refuse to make its data available.

It is estimated, however, that California accounts for one in four of all abortions nationwide. One in four! According to the Guttmacher Institute, which has ties to Planned Parenthood, there were 181,700 abortions in California in 2011, the most recent year available. Of those, it is estimated that 16,000 teens have abortions in California annually.

Although there is no statistics on how many teens tell their parents about an unwanted pregnancy, what is certain is that the veil of secrecy creates a dangerous environment for teen girls.

Californians for Parental Rights—hoping to eliminate the protection shield for child rapists—has begun circulating petitions to get parental notification on the November 2016 ballot. The group needs 585,407 valid signatures in order to qualify for the ballot, has garnered the support of presidential candidate Carly Fiorina and Adrian Gonzalez of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The ballot measure would require that one parent be notified 48 hours before an abortion could be performed on a minor. The measure also provides for a judicial bypass in the case of parental abuse. A teen would not need parental consent before getting an abortion.

A similar measure on the 2008 ballot, fell short by just 2 percentage points despite heavy funding (15 to 1) from Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion organizations. In addition, the measure’s proponents said the state’s changing demographics, coupled with aggressive de-regulation efforts by abortion supporters, have created an environment that is more supportive of parental notification. Consider:

• Hispanics, who poll 81 percent in favor of parental notification, have grown from 18 percent in 2008 of actual voters to 25-25 percent in 2016.
• Asians, who poll 70 percent in favor of parental notification, have grown from 5 percent of actual voters in 2008 to 9-10 percent in 2016.
• This summer’s emergence of Planned Parenthood videos showing employees brokering in baby parts, has soured the public against the abortion provider.
• California has recently passed laws removing safety protections for women who seek abortions, including allowing certain classes of nurses and midwives to perform the procedures, eliminating hospital transfer agreements which are vital in the event of a medical emergency, and lowering the building standards for abortion clinics.
• Last year, California’s abortion funding increased by 40 percent, while most other health payments across the state were cut by 10 percent.

Additionally, the measure’s proponents said research has shown a reduction in the number of teen abortions in states where notification is required. In Minnesota, for instance, the abortion rate has dropped more than 71 percent since the law was implemented there in 1989. Alaska and Illinois, which both implemented laws in recent years, also saw abortions reduced by at least 20 percent.

To learn more about the measure, including stories of actual abuse cases and the success of parental notification in other states, visit www.caparentalrights.org.