As pointed out in the article about the parental consent bill, there was a major loophole in the parental notification bill passed in 1997 and signed into law by then Governor George Allen. Unrecognized at the time was the fact that the law did not require any assurance that the signed statement presented by the minor was in fact signed by the parent. This defect was closed with the passage of the parental consent law this year which has a requirement for notarization of the parent’s signature, unless the parent accompanies the minor and signs the statement at the abortion facility.

Although Governor Warner tried to delete this requirement, it is interesting to note that at least one abortionist agrees that the law was flawed. In an article that appeared in the Lynchburg News & Advance on February 5, 2003, Dr. Herbert Jones of Charlottesville, who has been performing abortions for over thirty years, said, “we’re very strict in that if we have an underage girl, we make a parent come in and sign in the office.” He explained, “The law says we don’t have to do that. We can send a letter home, and you never know who signs it” (emphasis added).

Published in VSHL Lifesaver, April 2003