Tallahassee, Fla., Feb 17, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Parents in Florida may soon have the legal right to be informed if their teenage daughters seek an abortion, reported the Associated Press yesterday.
A House panel approved a ballot measure Feb. 16 to that effect.
The vote is a preliminary step toward putting a "parental rights" provision in the Florida Constitution.
House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, R-Plant City, called for the amendment last summer after the Florida Supreme Court struck down a law that required medical professionals to notify parents before their minor daughters get abortions.
If the amendment passes the House and the Senate, it will go before voters in November.