Editor, Daily Nexus,

UCSB students should be aware of a new petition drive to put “parental notification” back on the California ballot. Californians have just spoken on parental notification – and they said, “NO,” loud and clear. Prop 73 was soundly defeated in last November’s election.

When the voters have clearly said that they don’t want to put vulnerable teenagers at risk of serious harm, it’s an abuse of the initiative process to force another election on this issue.

The new initiatives are essentially “clones” of Proposition 73. They propose to amend the Constitution to force pregnant teenagers from unhappy homes to navigate through a court process or seek unsafe, self-induced or illegal abortions.

Voters, understand that initiatives like these don’t work. They don’t offer teens or parents any real solutions. What works is talking to teenagers, fostering good family community, sex education and making sure teens can come to a trusted adult in a time of crisis.

Petition gatherers love to target college students. If you see people gathering signatures on campus, tell them NO. There are many other pressing needs to address for all Californians.