Quote: Police Officer Says Parental Notification Protects Teens

From 2008:

A police sergeant in California told the media that parental notification laws help protect teens and young girls who are victims of sexual abuse.

Sgt. Tom Yarrington was speaking in support of Proposition 4, a ballot measure to require that abortion businesses inform the parents of a minor girl before an abortion is performed on her.

Yarrington, who has investigated thousands of sex crimes, described a case involving a 12-year-old who was forced into an abortion by a sexual predator in order to hide the abuse. He says that laws like Proposition 4 can stop abuse from continuing.

“The biggest difference is that the abuse would have ceased immediately,” Yarrington said. “Second of all, she would have been receiving counseling immediately, which is going to help her through the healing process and move on with her life.”

Hiding the abuse with abortion, on the other hand, allows the abuse to continue and exposes victims to further suffering, Yarrington said.

“If we can’t help right away because the information isn’t disclosed and she has to carry that burden on her own, that’s a very difficult, heavy burden for someone to carry,” he said. “A 12-year-old is not mentally prepared to deal with not only the medical complications that can occur, but the mental anguish.”