Not in the Limelight

On the California ballot in November 2006 was Proposition 85, requiring parental notification for minors seeking an abortion. According to the Easy Voter Guide, Prop 85 would do this: “Change the California Constitution to require a doctor to notify a parent or guardian at least 48 hours before performing an abortion on a minor. The law would not require a parent to agree to the abortion. They would just have to be told about it. Parental notification would not be required in case of a medical emergency or if the young person gets approval from juvenile court. Some information about the abortions and juvenile court decisions would be reported to the state, but without identifying the minors.” A modest Proposition.

Under California law, a girl under the age of 18 must notify her parents if she is to have a flu shot, a tooth pulled, an aspirin from a school nurse, or go on a field trip.

Jim Holman was the major funder of Prop 85. In The San Diego Union-Tribune (SDUT), October 29, 2006, there was a story about Holman: “He’s the owner of one of the largest alternative newspapers in the country [San Diego Reader], a father of seven and a Vietnam veteran decorated with a pair of Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart. He’s also a conservative Catholic who attends Mass every day, teaches Latin to homeschooled students and rides the public bus from his Coronado home to his office….”

According to SDUT, the San Diego Reader has “amassed a reputation for taking on the establishment, with investigative writing and generally being a thorn in the side of the movers and shakers. The San Diego Union-Tribune has been a frequent target of its wrath.” Moreover, “the Reader won’t take ads for abortion centers, classified personals for same-sex relationships or solicitations for strip clubs.”