Nevada has no law requiring parental notification or consent for an underage girl to obtain an abortion, and Nevada Right to Life's Melissa Clement says it has been a source of frustration for years.
"We have asked legislatures to fix this, we've asked the judicial system to fix it, and they have failed to do so either through lack of will, lack of caring, or lack of numbers," she laments.
So Nevada Right to Life, in conjunction with the Protect Our Girls PAC, has launched a petition drive in hopes of collecting enough signatures to force lawmakers to deal with the issue.
"They will have to look at the language we've provided for the bill and … vote either up or down," Clement explains. "If they vote in favor of it, we finally have little girls … and children protected. If they don't, it goes automatically to the ballot box in 2024."
Voters would then make the decision.
Planned Parenthood has filed two lawsuits to prevent a successful petition drive from being handed over to the legislature for action.
Meanwhile, young Nevada girls cannot purchase a home, buy a vehicle, undergo a tonsillectomy, or take an aspirin at school without their parents' knowledge and permission, but they can terminate the life of their preborn babies.