Ah yes, it's election year therefore we need some pandering to the abortion (read: single issue voters) crowds. So the Senate is considering making it a federal offense to take a minor across state lines for an abortion without parental consent. I'm going to put aside all the faults with parental notification laws in general.

More abstractly, I would LOVE to see this case argued in front of the Supreme Court on commerce clause grounds. It can either be the next Lopez or the next Raich. Either way, it's a win-win (or lose-lose) for liberals. Strike down the abortion restriction? Great. Uphold the law? Then just you wait and see all the social programs that go up if power shifts to the other party. Can you say Department of Random Ass Social Spending? Of course, protecting children from unwisely, and sinfully, obtaining an abortion is completely different from oh say protecting children from unwisely joining 18th Street.