WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the defeat of a controversial piece of legislation, dubbed the "Teen Endangerment Act," that would put the lives of vulnerable young women at risk and that threatens to turn caring adults into criminals. 

"This bill threatens the health and welfare of America's young women," said Laura W. Murphy, Director of the ACLU's Washington National Office. "Trusted adults coming to the aid of teenagers in crisis should not have to act outside the law." 

The bill (HR 476) would make it a federal crime for a person, other than a parent, to transport a minor across state lines for an abortion unless the minor had already fulfilled the requirements of her home state's parental involvement law. The bill is scheduled later today for a floor vote in the House of Representatives. 

The ACLU said that if the bill were to become law, teenagers would be denied the counsel and support of trusted family members or friends when seeking an abortion out of state. The bill only allows parents to travel with their child; other family members such as grandparents or aunts and uncles would be subject to criminal prosecution. 

The ACLU also said the bill would have no effect on the number of pregnant teenagers who tell their parents about their decision to have an abortion. Studies show that most teenagers voluntarily inform their parents of their decision and that those that do not are unable to do so due to tragic circumstances such as incest or domestic violence. 

According to an analysis prepared by the ACLU, the legislation also ironically violates core constitutional principles of federalism that are often espoused in other contexts by avowed supporters of this bill. It supplants the laws in a majority of states in this country that do not have parental involvement requirements. 

Proponents of the bill have also argued that the its "judicial bypass" option in state parental involvement laws --which allows a teenager seeking to end her pregnancy to get a judge's approval in lieu of her parents - is a real alternative for those teens that cannot tell their parents. The ACLU said that the judicial bypass is often not a real alternative. Some teenagers live in regions where the local judges simply never grant bypass petitions. Others have difficulty navigating complicated court processes. 

"What supporters of this bill do not understand is that young women facing the stress of an unwanted pregnancy must have a shoulder to lean on," Murphy said. "The 'Teen Endangerment Act' would cause young women in crisis to be abandoned."