Dr. Mitchell H. Katz is the Director of Health for the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH).
In her recent column Debra Saunders says that those of us who oppose Proposition 85 "argue that teenagers will tell good parents...if they are pregnant. But if pregnant teenagers don't talk to their parents, it probably is for a good reason."
While Ms. Saunders is correct in this narrow observation, the Chronicle's editorial board better understood the entire issue and recommended its readers reject Prop 85.
No law, including Prop 85, can create good family communication. Prop 85 has the added disadvantage that it will put teens in real danger. Teens "not talking to their parents for good reason" is more than just a "nifty-sounding sentence," as Ms Saunders describes it... it's reality.
