ALERT:  The same backers who put Proposition 73 on the ballot in the Special Election, have been circulating a new initiative that will -- once again -- threaten the safety of California's teens.

What part of NO don't they understand?

 Californians spoke loudly and clearly last November when they rejected Prop 73 and voted to protect teen safety.

• They said NO to putting California's teenagers at risk.
• They said NO to forcing pregnant teens from unhappy homes to navigate a crowded court system or take matters into their own hands.
• They said NO to government interference in private family decisions.

California voters shouldn't be actors in a movie like 'Groundhog Day' where the characters do the same thing over and over in an attempt to get it right. Californians got it right the first time when they said NO to Prop. 73. Voters recognized that initiatives like these harm more teens than they help.

But those who would restrict a woman's right to choose -- and put our teen's safety at risk -- have recently announced that they are close to collecting the signatures necessary to put this before the voters AGAIN this November. 

The facts have not changed.  Parents care most about keeping their teenagers safe. That means always safe, even when teenagers can't – for whatever reason -- talk to their parents about an unplanned pregnancy. Mandatory notification laws may sound good, but in the real world they put teenagers in real danger.

This new initiative is almost a xeroxed copy of the one the voters soundly rejected last November. A handful of cosmetic word changes cannot mask it.

If you're asked to sign a petition say No, Again!  Join doctors, nurses and millions of California parents by rejecting any clone of Prop. 73. For more information or to volunteer, call 916-446-0183.

Help for parents

According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, "Teens who are close to their parents and feel supported by them are more likely to abstain from sex, wait until they are older to begin having sex, have fewer sexual partners, and use contraception more consistently."

If you're a parent looking for real tools to help you communicate openly with your son or daughter, check out the following Web sites:

• Talkwithyourkids.org -- The California Family Health Council Web site on how to help your teens make good decisions about sex.
• Family Communications.com -- Useful information (in English, Spanish and Tagalog) about how to communicate with your teen.
• Talking with your Kids.org -- Offering tips on how to communication with your teens on a variety of subjects including sex, HIV/AIDS, drugs and alcohol.
• National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy -- Includes 10 Tips for Parents to help their teens avoid pregnancy

On Tuesday, November 8, 2005 Californians voted to defeat Prop 73, 47.4 YES to 52.6 NO. You can access more detailed information on the California Secretary of State's website.

We are thankful that Californians rejected Prop 73 which would have put the health and safety of our teenage daughters at risk. Voters rejected sending teens back to the back alleys and re-debating a woman's right to choose.  They voted to reject the politics of fear and religion that the proponents tried to interject into this campaign.

They voted to keep our teens safe.

The real answer to teen pregnancy is caring families and age appropriate sex education, including teaching abstinence.  We are doing that in California and our teen pregnancy rate is already down 40%.  We must all work to continue that trend.

Our victory is in great part due to the hard work of thousands of volunteers all over California who worked tirelessly through the last few months to make this happen.

Thank you!

"The way to reduce abortion is not a law that requires frightened young women to either face a judge or the wrath of their parents. It's about increasing communication -- about sex, about choices, about consequences -- that prevents an accidental pregnancy in the first place. Californians should reject Proposition 73 in the Nov. 8 special election."

"The fact is, without any law forcing communication, a majority of pregnant teens already talk to their parents voluntarily, especially younger teens, according to two surveys published in Family Planning Perspectives in 1992. That's a good thing and speaks to the quality of relationships between parent and teen before the pregnancy."

"Teen Pregnancy and abortion rates have been declining in California for years, and most pregnant girls tell a parent before getting an abortion. So Proposition 73, requiring doctors to inform a minor's parents before performing an abortion, has little to offer this state -- and much to take away. It adds to the court system's burdens, threatens to apply only to poorer teens and introduces troubling language to the state's Constitution. It's nice to think that all girls feel comfortable talking to their parents about sex, birth control and abortion. Nice, but absurd."