The testimony of Marcia Carroll; "There was nothing that could be done; in this horrible situation".(Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, the right of parents to protect the health and welfare of their minor daughters)

What appears below is the unedited testimony of Marcia Carroll of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as presented to the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, on March 3, 2005, in support of H.R. 748, the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA).

Good afternoon, my name is Marcia Carroll. I am from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I would like to begin by thanking you for inviting me here to speak and share my family's story. The following is a horrifying series of events centered around my 14-year-old daughter.

On Christmas Eve 2004, my daughter informed me she was pregnant. I assured her I would seek out all resources and help that was available. As her parents, her father and I would stand beside her and support any decision she made.

We scheduled appointments with her pediatrician, her private counselor, and her school nurse. I followed all of their advice and recommendations. They referred us to Healthy Beginnings Plus, Lancaster Family Services, and the WIC program. They discussed all her options with her.

I purposefully allowed my daughter to speak alone with professionals so that she would speak her mind and not just say what she thought I wanted to hear.

My daughter chose to have the baby and raise it. My family fully supported my daughter's decision to keep her baby and offered her our love and support.

Subsequently, her boyfriend's family began to harass my daughter and my family. They started showing up at our house to express their desire for my daughter to have an abortion.