Parental Consent

WASHINGTON - The House passed a bill yesterday that would make it a federal crime for an adult to transport an underage girl across state lines to have an abortion without the consent of her parents. A vote on a similar bill is expected in the Senate later this spring or early this summer, and backers says its chances are good. The measure, called the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, passed 270-157, and was a victory for abortion opponents, who have been pushing an ambitious legislative agenda now that Congress is under strengthened Republican control.

WASHINGTON - Encouraged by election wins in November, anti-abortion groups say their chances of persuading the Senate to approve new abortion restrictions and to confirm abortion foes to the federal judiciary have improved sharply. Republicans are still short of the 60 votes needed to block a filibuster in the Senate, where many abortion restrictions have been defeated in the past. But abortion rights opponents have gained from the election. The Senate will have five new members who are fiercely opposed to abortion, and Democrats are soul-searching on the issue after their election losses.

Schools announce student information disclosure policy Information about past or present students in the Howard County public school system can be disclosed without parental consent if the data has been designated, "directory information." In accordance with state and federal law, the Howard County Board of Education has designated as "directory information" a student's home phone number; home address; date and place of birth; major field of study; participation in officially recognized activities and sports; the weight and height of members of school athletic teams; dates of attendance; degrees and awards received; the most recent educational institution attended; and similar information.

With the new Republican governor providing a backdrop of cautious optimism, about 30 anti-abortion legislators met yesterday in Annapolis to discuss what abortion-related bills they will propose this session. Although those who attended described the meeting largely as a brainstorming session, the lawmakers did agree on some guidelines: They won't push for anything too controversial and instead will concentrate on one or two anti-abortion measures they believe are supported by most Marylanders.

Concerned about the proliferation of navel hoops and tongue studs in teen-agers, Baltimore County is proposing criminal penalties for body-piercing of minors without a parent's permission. A bill scheduled for debate tomorrow and a vote later this month would prohibit piercing of those younger than 18 without written parental consent. Violators would face a $500 fine, 90 days in jail or both. The measure would close a loophole left in previous county regulations that required minors to obtain parental consent for tattoos.

Parental notification enables pregnant girls to secure support Cleo Braver of Planned Parenthood, the nation's leading abortion provider and promoter, called parental-notice legislation "frightening" in her column "Women want the right to make a choice" (Opinion Commentary, Jan. 29). What is truly frightening are frightened girls, some as young as 12 years old, facing the trauma of an unplanned pregnancy on their own. Without parental support and guidance they can undergo a surgical procedure with risk and complications that could affect them for the rest of their lives.

The issue comes up perennially in the state legislature, and every year it has failed. This year likely will be no different. That did not stop the issue of young teens, abortion and parental involvement from stirring crosscurrents of emotions yesterday before a House committee in Annapolis. The proposed legislation -- narrower in scope this year than in previous years -- would eliminate the confidentiality afforded young teens who seek information on sexuality or treatment, including abortion.

An Anne Arundel County official joined advocates for children in urging the General Assembly yesterday to ban marriage under the age of 16, calling the current statute permitting such unions "a shotgun law for pregnant adolescents."Robert P. Duckworth, clerk of the county Circuit Court, noted the well-publicized marriage of a pregnant 13-year-old girl and the baby's 29-year-old father last August in Annapolis. The case of Tina Lynn Akers and Phillip Wayne Compton Jr. received international attention, bringing calls for legislation to ban such marriages.

Authorities in Virginia are investigating the unexpected death Friday of the baby born to a 13-year-old Annapolis girl whose marriage last summer to a 29-year-old man touched off a push to raise Maryland's legal marriage age.Police in Richlands, Va., said Austin Lee Compton, age 5 months, was found dead in a bed in his grandmother's home near the Virginia-West Virginia border.The cause of death is undetermined. Results of an autopsy are incomplete, but officials believe there was no foul play.

BOSTON -- Sooner or later it always comes down to earrings.At some point in the debate, a legislator, politician or moralist who has never previously shown the slightest interest in the public policy on body piercing will utter the same rhetorical battle cry: "If a teen-ager can't get her ears pierced without parental consent, why should she be able to get an abortion?"Frankly, the analogy still escapes me. We are, after all, talking about the realities of reproduction, not jewelry.Teen-agers can have sex (alas)