By a vote of 220-201, the House defeated a bill that would have required federally funded clinics to notify parents in writing five days before providing birth control to minors.
While conservatives argued that government aid to clinics encouraged teen sex, opponents of the bill said it would frighten away teens and increase the rates of STDs and pregnancy.
District of Columbia Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton said, “It’s impossible to pretend today that families need only get together and they can straighten this out. There is no family life for many I represent, let alone communication within the family.”
