University student testifies on abortion before state legislature

Erica Shein '04, one of a few teenagers who testified at yesterday's New Jersey state assembly meeting, said she experienced nervous excitement while defending her emphatic belief that minors should have the right to seek abortions without parental consent.

Up for discussion was an initiative that requires parents of minors to be notified of all medical procedures, including abortion, performed on their children.

The initiative — which may appear on the November 2001 ballot if approved by the state assembly — is opposed by many pro-choice activists, including Shein.

"The point I was trying to make was that maturity and responsibility and wisdom do not have anything to do with age," Shein said.

Susan Wilson, executive director of the Network for Family Life Education at Rutgers University, introduced Shein and two New Jersey high school students who also testified before the assembly. According to Shein, Wilson emphasized that the students were presenting their own beliefs with no outside coaching.

Wilson's group was not the only one with a position to state, and the meeting drew such a crowd that the seats in the hall were filled and people were forced to stand.

Shein noted that several other speakers and some assembly members — mostly those who agreed with her points — congratulated her after she spoke. Despite this largely positive impression, Shein said she was surprised by the expressions of disbelief on the faces of some audience members when she referred to the harsh realities of illegal abortion.

At one point, "[being at the meeting] was kind of scary," Shein said.

But though the large number of people and opposing views presented could have resulted in a contentious atmosphere, Shein said, "[The meeting] seemed like it went really well."