WHAT IT WOULD DO: Change the state constitution so that a doctor would be required to notify a minor’s parents at least 48 hours before performing an abortion.

Proposition 4 supporters seek to mislead voters by framing their measure as one that would protect against child predators; it’s actually the same effort to hinder reproductive rights that Californians have already voted down twice.

A parental-notification requirement would not protect minors — it would put their health at risk, forcing those who are unwilling or unable to tell their parents about their pregnancy to resort to unsafe methods of termination. The majority of parents are already aware of their teenager’s pregnancy, according to a Los Angeles Times article. Clearly the current policy is in place to protect minors who are absolutely unable to tell their parents.

Proposition 4 wouldn’t improve family communication in these households or protect minors who may be experiencing abuse. It would instead encourage these young women to seek unlicensed abortions or go the duration of their pregnancy without medical attention or support, giving birth alone and abandoning their baby to hide it from their parents.

Our state constitution should not be used as a tool for limiting access to nationally recognized liberties — particularly for the minors who are largely silenced in the political process — and this attempt is another nauseating reminder of the illusory conduct still championed by conservative extremists.

California voters need to stand up, as they have in the past, and protect the state’s minors against this dangerous measure. Vote no on Proposition 4.