For girls who feel desperate

As a mom, there's nothing more important to me than my relationships with my three daughters. It breaks my heart to think that one of my girls might face a personal crisis that she felt that she couldn't share with me.

So frankly, it was tough for me to vote to repeal the Parental Notification Act (PNA). Under that law, medical providers were required to let parents or guardians know if a girl under 18 was seeking an abortion.

I know it's a nightmare for every loving, involved parent to think that a teenage daughter would go through this experience without telling us. Thankfully, the reality is that the overwhelming majority of young girls who become pregnant ask for their parents' help.

But some girls do not have a loving, trusted adult they can rely on. Some girls live in fear of angry, violent parents. Some girls can't trust their parents to protect them from the sexual abuse of adult men in their lives. And some girls have simply been abandoned by their parents.

When I voted to repeal PNA, I knew I would face opposition - even some disappointment - from parents who love their young daughters with all their hearts and who would do anything to protect them. But when I cast my vote, I was thinking about the thousands of girls growing up in Illinois who will never know what it's like to have a mom or dad they can trust and confide in.

As a lawmaker, I can't wave a magic wand and give every child in Illinois a strong, stable home filled with unconditional love. But by voting to end PNA, I believe I am helping some girls feel a little less desperate as they face one of the most difficult times of their young lives.

State Rep. Terra Costa Howard

Glen Ellyn