Parental Notice Resolution: Live Blog from the C.O.W.
Posted by Eric Scheidler on Tuesday, November 20th, 2007
I'm blogging from the Committee of the Whole meeting, at which the parental notice resolution (not to be confused with the ordinance) will be presented for movement on to next week's City Council meeting for a vote.
5:45 p.m. All twelve aldermen are present. Mayor Weisner is absent—I hear he's on vacation at his luxury home in Florida. The C.O.W. are currently discussing items from the Finance Committee. They have already discussed the Planning and Development Committee items. Government Operations is up next, and the parental notice resolution is the second of their items.
This might be a good point to clarify the difference between the parental notice resolution and the parental notice ordinance.
The parental notice ordinance was originally floated by Fourth Ward Alderman Rick Lawrence a couple months ago, before Planned Parenthood had even opened. He was aghast to learn that there are medical providers—like Planned Parenthood—that will perform procedures or give drugs to minors without parental knowledge. He formally proposed a parental notice ordinance at the Government Operations Committee meeting October 23, along with Aldermen Chris Beykirch and Richard Irvin.
The ordinance would require any medical provider to inform parents before any medical procedure, including administering drugs, is given to a minor. The ordinance is currently on hold at the G.O. Committee while some tricky legal issues—like how a municipality can provide judicial bypass, there being no municipal courts—are worked out.
The parental notice resolution was proposed by Eighth Ward Alderman Beykirch, also at the October 23 G.O. meeting. It is a non-binding resolution that calls upon the State of Illinois to take action to enforce the 1995 Parental Notice Act, which has been held up in federal court for twelve years.
The resolution was punted to the legal department at the October 23 meeting at the insistence of acting chairman Stephanie Kifowit. Some phrases were altered at the November 13 G.O. meeting, and it was then sent forward to the C.O.W., without recommendation.
6:05 p.m. The G.O. Committee meeting is now presenting items. They're on the resolution issue now, which Alderman Beykirch is now explaining to the group. He says, "I can assure you that I for one don't consider this a litmus test of how anyone would feel about a parental notice ordinance."
Beykirch says the Naperville City Council will also have a resolution like this moving forward by the end of the year, which Lawrence corroborates.
Lawrence is now presenting his concern that the State law deals only with abortion; he'd like the resolution to call on the state to require parental notice of all medical procedures on minors. Lawrence has just passed out notes for an amendment to the resolution which he will proposed at the November 27 meeting.
6:10 p.m. Lawrence insists this is not a pro-life issue; that even Planned Parenthood told him at a private meeting last week that parental involvement is very important.
Bob O'Connor asks that any amendments be provided in writing. Lawrence says the written sheet he passed around is what he'll propose for an amendment.
6:15 p.m. Kifowit says she has met with medical professionals, including some from Dreyer, and that the only procedures that can be administered to minors over twelve years are mental illness counseling, drug abuse treatment, sexually transmitted disease treatment, and two others I'm not typing quick enough to type.
I think the gist of her argument is that we'd be asking the state to include these other five items in the list of items requiring parental notice (consent, actually, for other medical procedures). Lawrence says that may be what doctors say, but he knows cases to the contrary, where parents are not informed of procedures.
O'Connor suggests this discussion would be better engaged at the City Council meeting next week, and says that the resolution will be placed on Unfinished Business, which means the item will be open for public discussion.
That means that we all need to sign up to speak. Call the City Clerk at 630-844-3615 and say you're signing up to speak for three minutes on the parental notice resolution.
I'll be sending Talking Points on this issue soon. If you're not already signed up for my e-mails, go back to the home page and sign up now.
Eric,
Are all the alderman there? Is the mayor and Alyne W. there?
November 20th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Eric,
Are there other communities that you are aware of besides Naperville who are thinking about this passing this type of resolution?
November 20th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
Eric,
Did you mean under not over?
"and that the only procedures that can be administered to minors over twelve years"
Is she saying that she feels that it is OK for parents to not know about these issues.
November 20th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
The Parental Notification Resolution is a MUST!!! Even in the high schools a nurse cannot give a student/minor an aspirin without permission from the parent and yet they can go to a clinic and either get preventative meds or termination without a parent ever knowing. This makes absolutely no sense.
November 20th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
6:10 p.m. "Lawrence insists this is not a pro-life issue; that even Planned Parenthood told him at a private meeting last week that parental involvement is very important."
………….
Private meeting?
November 20th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
Tara—Yes, Weingartz was there.
Mary—No, I did mean "over 12," not "under 12". That's what Kifowit was reporting, anyway. It's the 12-17 age group that's really the concern here.
Laura—Here's what I know about Lawrence's meeting with Planned Parenthood:
He has a neighbor who is very "pro-choice," but likes Rick a lot. This neighbor, who has some kind of link to PP, couldn't believe PP would do abortions on minors, and Rick invited her to set up a meeting. That's the kind of guy he is—he'll talk to anyone.
I haven't had the chance to talk with him about the meeting—we've both been busy—but I'm eager to learn about how it went.
November 20th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
Eric,
Thank you for keeping us posted on these developments at the City Council and Committee of the Whole mtgs.
Could you please clarify again where we stand at this point with the ordinance and the resolution and which one will be discussed at the open city council forum next week? Thank you and God bless.
November 20th, 2007 at 10:09 pm
Eric,
Thank you! Yes, I also think that Alderman Lawrence is one heck of a stand up guy! It's also refreshing to see a pro-choice supporter baffled by the likes of PP's antics. Please keep us posted on how that meeting went, if you can, of course! God bless you!
November 20th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
To Marilu and others who are not familiar with the State of Illinois instructions for administering over the counter drugs to students in Illinois schools.
Some of which include but are not limited to: aspirin, ibuprofen, cough drops, eye drops,topical ointments, salves, cough syrups, cold and flu medicines, antacids,alchol, hydrogen peroxide, etc., etc.,etc. Parental permission is not the key to school health professionals administering, but rather a doctor's permission is also necessary. A parent can call me and tell me I have permission to give their student a Tylenol. I can NOT give the child a Tylenol just because Mom or Dad says it's alright to do so. There is a form that must be filled out by both parent and doctor before I am able to dispense ANY over the counter drug or a prescription drug. This holds true for penicillin or a ROLAIDS. It does NOT matter whether a parent requests orally or in writing that I have permission to dispense. The key here is that form where both parent and doctor sign. Only then, can school health personnel dispense meds. (NOTE: a parent /guardian can show up at school and self administer with no ramifications. That is their right.) Just thought it wise to clarify what the State of Illinois mandate on this issue is and thought you would like to know.
November 21st, 2007 at 12:33 am
Thank you for the update Eric. I will make effort effort to be present at the next City Council meeting.
November 21st, 2007 at 12:55 am
Maria,
Thanks for the clarification.
November 21st, 2007 at 9:15 am
Because of what you are doing with Parental Notification and Consent, we here in Rockland County, New York have a county legislator who is willing to help
with the same type of protection for our children. Please pray for us as we pray for you. You are showing many of us the way.
November 21st, 2007 at 10:11 pm
This is off topic but did anyone read The Beacon News today? Seems Chief Powell and Sen. Dick Durbin are meeting today in Chicago at 1:45. I wonder if our name will come up? What great timeing. Not that it means aything of course.
November 26th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Kathi,
Heads up observation!!!!!
Dick Durbin is seeking reelection and he KNOWS we are going to give him a BRUISING.
Why would a chief of police be invited?????
Is there some pink trophy being presented to him???
Dan
November 26th, 2007 at 7:45 pm