All nine Republican members of the California Senate signed a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom urging him to veto a bill that forces insurance companies to hide from parents “sensitive” medical procedures given to their adult and minor children. These “sensitive” services include abortions, sexual assault treatment, drug abuse and mental health treatment, cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers, and sex-change operations.
AB 1184, a bill sponsored by Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, was approved last week by the Assembly and the Senate on a mostly party-line vote and now waits for a decision from Newsom.
“We should be encouraging parents and family to be involved in their children’s lives, not removing them further from it,” states the letter from Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Rancho Cucamonga) and signed by the other eight Republican Senators.
“This bill, in an effort to further hide information from parents and caregivers, would put policyholders in the impossible position of being financially responsible for bills they did not incur and cannot verify as being legitimate. Additionally, it further limits parents’ abilities to protect their children by removing them from sensitive conversations as early as 12 years old. Parents have a right to be involved in sensitive medical decisions for their young children.”
The California Family Council has also strongly opposed this bill throughout the legislative process. “Legislators should not be helping Planned Parenthood undermine parents’ rights to guide and oversee the healthcare of their children,” said California Family Council President Jonathan Keller. “Transparency matters. The owner of an insurance policy deserves to know what medical procedures they are paying for. If an adult under 26 wants insurance privacy, they can and should purchase their own insurance.”
