Washington Parental Notice for Abortions Performed on Minors Initiative (2020)

Washington Parental Notice for Abortions Performed on Minors Initiative
Election date November 3, 2020
Topic Abortion
Status Not on the ballot
Type State statute	Origin Citizens
List of Washington measuresWashington Referendum 90Washington Senate Joint Resolution 8212Washington Advisory Vote 32Washington Advisory Vote 33Washington Advisory Vote 34Washington Advisory Vote 35Submit

The Washington Parental Notice for Abortions Performed on Minors Initiative was not on the ballot in Washington as an Initiative to the Legislature, a type of indirect initiated state statute, on November 3, 2020.

This measure was designed to require physicians to notify parents before performing abortions on minors (with exceptions).

Text of measure

Ballot title

Initiative 1004 ballot title
“ Initiative Measure No. 1004 concerns abortion services for minors. This measure would require that physicians notify parents or guardians before performing abortions on minors, with exceptions for medical emergencies or by court order, and provide criminal penalties and civil liability for violations. Should this measure be enacted into law? ”

Ballot summary

Initiative 1004 ballot summary

“ This measure would prohibit persons from performing abortions on minors without first providing forty-eight hours’ actual notice to the minor’s parent or legal guardian. That notice would not be required: (1) for physician-certified medical emergencies; (2) if the right to notice is waived; (3) if waived by court order; or (4) if impossible. Performing an abortion without the required notice, and certain other actions, would be crimes (gross misdemeanors) and provide grounds for civil claims. ”

Full text

The full text of Initiative 1004 is available here.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Washington

The state process

In Washington, the number of signatures required to qualify an indirectly initiated state statute—called an Initiative to the Legislature in Washington—for the ballot is equal to 8 percent of the votes cast for the office of governor at the last regular gubernatorial election. Initial filings for indirect initiatives cannot be made more than 10 months before the regular session at which their proposal would be presented to lawmakers. Signatures must be submitted at least 10 days prior to the beginning of the legislative session in the year of the targeted election.

The requirements to get an Initiative to the Legislature certified for the 2020 ballot:

• Signatures: 259,622 valid signatures were required.
• Deadline: The deadline to submit signatures was January 3, 2020.

The secretary of state verifies the signatures using a random sample method. If the sample indicates that the measure has sufficient signatures, the measure is certified to appear before the legislature. If the legislature does not approve the measure, it is certified to appear on the ballot. However, if the sample indicates that the measure has insufficient signatures, every signature is checked. Under Washington law, a random sample result may not invalidate a petition.

Details about this initiative

• Karlie Lodjic submitted the initiative on March 14, 2019. A ballot title and summary were issued for it on March 25, 2019.
• Parents and Students Protecting Minors (PSPM), the group sponsoring the initiative, announced that they would begin their signature drive on May 1, 2019.
• Proponents did not submit signatures by the deadline.

See also

2020 measures

• 2020 ballot measures
• Abortion on the ballot

Washington

• Washington ballot measures
• Washington ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls