1. Patient Confidentiality: Would you support a statutory requirement that parents must consent for a minor to obtain an abortion, when the current law already requires parents to be involved through a notification process?

Answer: I do not support either notification or consent requirements. These requirements, while well intentioned, carry with them the potential to do great harm to the lives of young women who are experiencing an unwanted pregnancy but who come from dysfunctional families. In such circumstances, young women often seek illegal abortions, which put their health and lives at risk. Our rule for statutory requirments should always be, "First, do not harm."

2. Health Insurance Coverage: Would you support a requirement that health insurance plans include coverage for prescription contraceptives, where insurers are presently only required to make it available to plans?

Answer: Yes.

3. Regulation of Medicial Practice: Would you support laws that would require a level of regulation to medical practices offering abortions that is above that required of practices performing other kinds of medical procedures?

Answer: No. Attempts to regulate out-patient clinics which perform abortion procedures to meet the same standards as in-patient hospitals would have the effect of crippling the clinics' ability to provide access to reproductive health care for women.

Meredith Richards (electronic mail, November 1, 2001).