Young women may soon have to wait five days or more before obtaining contraceptives, so that their parents can be notified. On Tuesday, a bill known as the "Parents Right to Know Act" was introduced in both the US Senate and House of Representatives (S 1279, HR 3011). This legislation would require clinics receiving federal funds under Title X to notify the parents of any minors who seek contraception at least five days before writing a prescription. It does not demand parental consent, but allows no exceptions to the notification requirement.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the number of births among girls in this age group dropped 38 percent from 1994 to 2002 alone, even though the number of girls 10 to 14 climbed 16 percent during the same period. CDC researchers attributed the decline to sex education.