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Contact: Pacific Justice Institute, 916-857-6900
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 31 /Standard Newswire/ -- The ACLU and Planned Parenthood are pushing San Diego's school board to end longstanding policies which require parental notification when students are pregnant and contemplating abortion, and parental consent before students leave campus, including trips to abortion clinics. Yesterday, Pacific Justice Institute sent a letter to the school board, urging them to stand by their parent-friendly policies and offering free legal assistance if those policies are challenged in court.
Although the parental notification policies have been in place for years, the ACLU and Planned Parenthood sent a joint letter to the San Diego Unified School District School Board in May, claiming the policies "violate the privacy rights of students" and must be changed. The ACLU and PP are also claiming that the school board's current stance is "antiquated and dangerous." The policies have been hotly debated in public school board meetings. In December, the School Board reviewed its options but directed staff to continue working on alternative policies for consideration. When asked by a PJI attorney yesterday, school board staff indicated that new draft policies would not be ready for discussion at the February 12 school board meeting, so parental input and independent legal analysis are still needed.
PJI affiliate attorney Pete Lepiscopo, who sent the letter on behalf of Pacific Justice Institute, commented, "Parents are morally and legally responsible for their minor children, so it is just common sense that they should be aware of their students; whereabouts, particularly if they are being subjected to life-altering medical procedures such as abortions."
PJI president Brad Dacus stated, "Contrary to ACLU and Planned Parenthood propaganda, parental responsibility is not antiquated or illegal, it is indispensable to a decent society. We urge the San Diego School Board not to cave in to pressure from radicals who ignore common sense and distort constitutional principles."
The Pacific Justice Institute is a non-profit 501(c)(3) legal defense organization specializing in the defense of religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties.
P.O. Box 276600 Sacramento, CA 95827-6600
Phone: (916) 857-6900 Fax (916) 857-6902 Internet: www.pacificjustice.org
