The U.S. Senate passed July 25 a bill that would make it a federal crime to transport a minor across state lines to avoid local laws requiring parental notification or consent for a girl to obtain an abortion.

The Senate bill will now have to be reconciled with a similar bill previously passed in the House, before it can be sent to the president, who has already signaled his willingness to sign it into law.

Passage of this bill is long overdue. In fact, we guess it would already be moving forward if it involved any medical procedure other than abortion. In many states it is illegal to administer even a headache remedy to a minor without parental consent. Why? Because parents have a right to know what is happening to their children.

But, as has occurred many times in the past, we are witnessing a case of “abortion distortion.” Measures or policies that, in any other situation, would be considered appropriate or just plain common-sense are suddenly proclaimed unacceptable by those who are determined to convince the American people an abortion is no more consequential than a tooth extraction.

But it is.

An abortion, beyond the obviously deadly impact on the unborn child, can have long lasting psychological effects on the mother — even more so in the case of an emotionally immature teenager.

A teen pregnancy is a serious issue. It is not time for an adult boyfriend or counselor or anyone else to take the place of a parent. Parents know their children best and are most likely act in their best interest.

The American people seem to understand that. According to the National Right to Life Committee, 80 percent of the American public support parental notification.

Some Democratic Senators are using political maneuvering to try to kill the bill before it can continue its course. They should reconsider their tactics and recognize that it makes sense to leave to the parents some say in such a difficult and traumatic decision.

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