Parental notification debate won't go away in Aurora

When it comes to parental notification, three Aurora aldermen won't wait around.

Chris Beykirch, Rick Lawrence and Richard Irvin are so intent on pushing through a resolution urging the state to enforce its own notification law, they decided to hold a special meeting of their own committee - building, grounds and infrastructure - to approve it.

The move comes a day after the resolution was held for three weeks at the government operations committee, with acting Chairwoman Stephanie Kifowit saying she wanted time to do more homework.

Beykirch, who heads the building, grounds and infrastructure committee, is calling a special meeting for 3 p.m. Friday at the Alderman's Office, 60 E. Downer Place. The resolution is the agenda's only item.

The move has raised some eyebrows among other aldermen.

"It's a little disrespectful," Kifowit said. "Let our committee do our job, so we can forward something that is well thought-up and well-researched (to the full city council)."

Lawrence, Beykirch and Irvin plan to propose a law requiring doctors to alert parents at least 48 hours before performing a medical procedure on a minor.

They still are creating the ordinance, but said the first step is to pass a resolution urging the state to enforce its own law for minors seeking abortions.

A federal court has blocked that law, passed in 1995, from taking effect. The matter has been challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union and is before a judge.

At Tuesday's meeting, Kifowit said she wanted to check the status of the state's law and refer the resolution to the city's legal department for review.

Parental notification was not on the agenda for a vote, she said - just discussion.

"They gave me nothing concrete as to why this issue can't be properly researched," she said.

Protecting children is too important to "sit around and play games with," Lawrence said today.

The resolution is a simple, non-binding one, and many go before the full council without ever being in a committee at all, he said.

"It's absolutely ridiculous," he said of the delay.

In a letter sent by Beykirch to officials, he wrote, "I know of no time where a non-binding resolution has been purposefully stopped from being voted for such apparent political reasons."

If the resolution is approved on Friday - which it likely will be - it could be forwarded to the committee of the whole for a full council vote. That committee next meets Nov. 6.

But according to city ordinance, committees can't discuss matters outside their jurisdiction, Kifowit said.

"If one committee doesn't do what you like, you can't just bring it to another committee," she said.

According to city code, the committee of the whole actually has jurisdiction over health matters. The mayor's office is looking into the matter, spokesman Carie Anne Ergo said.

Technically, a resolution can't be before two committees at the same time, she said.