Posted on 04/29/2005 10:55:46 AM PDT by Former Military Chick
The 13-year-old, identified in court records only as "L.G.," had planned to end her 13 1/2-week pregnancy before her guardian, the state Department of Children & Families, filed an emergency motion in Juvenile Court to prevent the abortion. The American Civil Liberties Union, represented by attorney James K. Green, filed an emergency appeal Wednesday arguing that neither the court nor DCF should be involved in L.G.'s decision.
State law allows minors to have abortions without notifying their guardians. Experts say the law extends to wards of the state, raising the question of why this girl's decision has ended up before a judge.
On Thursday, the ACLU's request to expedite the appeals process was granted by the 4th District Court of Appeal, giving DCF five days to file a written response.
According to court documents, "L.G." lives in a licensed DCF shelter home and learned she was pregnant during a medical exam about two weeks ago.
"Almost immediately after learning that she was pregnant, L.G. informed the DCF caseworker that she wished to terminate the pregnancy," the ACLU brief states. She planned to have her abortion Tuesday "with transportation and assistance" from the caseworker, but that morning DCF filed the motion to prevent her from terminating the pregnancy. A DCF official said the caseworker involved was not a DCF employee but was brought in by Children's Home Society, which does contract work for DCF.After a hearing Tuesday, Circuit Judge Ronald V. Alvarez temporarily barred L.G. from having an abortion, ordering a psychological evaluation to determine her mental condition and whether she would be harmed by terminating the pregnancy or carrying the fetus to term.Marilyn Munoz, spokeswoman for the Department of Children & Families, said the agency had no choice but to stop the abortion, based on a Florida statute that says, "In no case shall the department consent to sterilization, abortion, or termination of life support."But legal experts and advocates say the actions of the judge and DCF counter state law that allows girls under 18 to have abortions without notifying a parent or guardian and without having to undergo psychological counseling.
Stephanie Grutman, executive director of the Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, reported that L.G. will enter her second trimester in a few days, making an abortion slightly more risky and greatly reducing the number of providers in Florida willing to perform the procedure."This teen did exactly what she was supposed to do when faced with an unexpected pregnancy," Grutman said. "She went to a trusted adult ... and a healthcare center, got the information she needed and made a responsible decision for her life ... Now we have bureaucrats playing politics with a young woman's life. We're in a situation where every moment counts."
With all the legslative and advocate attention, other questions about how a 13-year-old girl in DCF custody got pregnant are being raised.
Currently state and federal legislators are trying to pass parental notification law that would apply to pregnant teens.
last year, Florida voters amended the constitution to require doctors to tell parents of an underage girl's plans for an abortion. Both chambers are working on bills to implement the amendment.
That was yesterdays (ongoing) news.
Now you have a child 13 and pregnant and in the throws of an abortion firestorm.
Listen folks I disagree with abortion I have made no bones about it. But, a little girl, who may have been pregnant as a result of rape would not have to endure a pregnancy hell no matter how she got pregnant she is still 13.
Tell me why the hell a child cannot be handcuffed, yet charged with murder or be forced to carry a child to term.
Before you flame me or ignore this thread, this stuff needs to be addressed collectively as a society perhaps starting at the grass roots effort we care at the moment but what about long term ... it is about our children then dammit make it about our children.
I am writing with anger right now, but, I do look forward to an honest and healthy debate on this subject.
A child get's cuffed, yeah, kinda of tough, but ya know, perhaps they should consider it in the future. Not in front of the camera but put child cuffs to give them a sense of law and order. I can hear it as you read my words, Chele, get a grip. Yep getting a grip, perhaps the kids that acted out from Columbine during their younger years should have faced such public punishment, maybe just maybe the tragedy could have been avoided.
Being handcuffed, gives one a sense of the law. I would work with the PTA, Board of ED to find a method that works.
But somebody anybody tell me where a childhood starts and childhood ends?
Please tell me cuz I am at a loss here.
IF a fetus is a living human being, with a unique genetic code, then terminating that life is killing a human.
So, all discussions of abortion (incest, rape, whatever) is always a discussion about whether it's OK to kill an innocent human being.
What we have in this case, is a 13-year-old who would be greatly inconvenienced by carrying her baby through to delivery. Is her inconvenience enough to justify the murder of an innocent human?
That's the question before us.
You are also on a bit of a rant.
If you read the article you will see that DCF "caseworker" who counseled the girl did not indeed work for the DCF.
Which is problematic, because it appears that planned parenthood types are going around passing themselves off as working for the Department of Children and Families.
To your main point however. If you believe that life begins at conception, as I do, then the circumstances which led to that conception are irrelevant.
An innocent life is an innocent life, no matter how tragic the conception.
I realize that many do not believe that life begins at conception, but for those who do, as sad as this "case" may be, her unborn child is not to blame and should not be "snuffed" out for the crimes, sins of others.
This is a tough question. The answer lies in you beliefs. And, there will never be an agreement on what is really the right thing to do.
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How does a 13 year old make an informed and responsible decision for her life regarding an issue such as this?
Thank you for your "clear" comment. I agree it is a baby I do not dispute that, I think that this in her mind is either a convenience or otherwise. She is a child. Well, she is 13 and might have a fundamental idea of what is occurring to her changing body, if that is the case she should have some ability to share her thoughts on abortion. She should not be excluded in this process.
If there were a loving family that would want to take the 2 in, to provide a home, adopting either one, or both, that would be wonderful. She cannot care for the child and Florida has many children needing a home in DCF but a baby get's a better deal, leaving others waiting and waiting for a home.
Thank you for your point of view, I have a feeling this news item will be in the news for days to come.
I do not know, but, to be honest this is such a sad story. A little girl left with nothing, in the system, finds herself pregnant, without much of a future, keeping the child to term, only means someone else will become the "foster" child to the child's baby.
"But somebody anybody tell me where a childhood starts and childhood ends?"
I understand your frustration, but look at the answer to your own question.
Childhood begins in the womb.
The focus here has been on the pregnant 13 year old girl. Disgusting and sad to be sure, but there are two lives at stake here.
The pregnant girl will be scarred more severely if she aborts this pregnancy. For those who disagree, read the studies. Listen to the interviews with mothers who've aborted their children. It's heart-breaking.
You are right, and rant or not, it is in the news and what I said are potential problems and thoughts on this story.
I believe in life at all costs, but is 13 at all costs? I just do not know but it is not just about what happens now but in the future. She should be able to carry it to term, provide a home, oops wait she is not even out of Junior High, so we put the baby in the system, the same system that failed her mother.
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I agree it is a very sad story. It could be much sadder if this poor child has an abortion, and has to live with that for the rest of her life.
Adoption is always an option.
... you allow for exceptions. That's a mighty big bone. If you believe abortion is murder, there are no exceptions.
Neither rape, nor incest, nor a threat to the health of the mother turns a baby into a subhuman blob of tissue. If it's a baby, it's murder.
Indeed. So many people abdopt children from China, Romania, Ecuador, Ukraine, you name it. This baby would find a loving home, outside of the DCF system, with real parents who will love it -- if it is allowed to live.
I am at a loss over these people who become hysterical at the idea of pregnancy - that its the worst possible thing to happen to someone.
They're being "forced" to carry a child!
We tried to create a society where human being we consider 'too young' to be parents do not get pregnant by teaching them sex is something special, to wait for, etc. This has been undermined and undercut at every turn.
Sex has been reduced to a sport and sold as a right to be exploited by the likes of PP who wait to reap the profits at he expense of those same children.
A 13 year old may not, by some peoples standards, be 'old enough' to have a child but Nature already decided how old humans need to be to procreate.
Pregnancy is the natural outcome of sex. Why abortion is the only option palatable for women, especially the younger they are, is bizarre.
Before anyone suggests the dangers of a pregnancy verses the 'absolutely healthy' choice of 'death to the fetus', remember pregnancy isn't a disease.
Don't allow yourself to be talked into pregancy is more dangerous than abortion. Its a lie. Started by PP and those who would profit from murder.
Oh, they'll find someone. Don't they always? Of course by then, this "fetus" will probably be 24 or 25 weeks gestatation.... No matter its viability, this child will be sacrificed for the "rights" of another.
Meanwhile Mom will languish in the shelter, a ward to DCF who already allowed her to be raped under their watch- let not pretend this is going to have a happy ending. I don't believe you can compare the emotions of someone willingly putting up their child for adoption as opposed to someone being forced to give their child by the state, as will likely happen in this case. This girl is in for lots of trauma no matter what happens, being a pawn for abortion lobbyists who care nothing for her or her child, and a ward of a state agency who cares nothing for her but wants her child.
Both sides of the abortion debate are passionate in their beliefs. No doubt, this child is going to be put in the center of a bigger political fight and she will be used as a pawn by the pro-choice side because she has expressed a wish to terminate the pregnancy.
For someone this young, and pregnant, the publicity may be too overwhelming and stressful. Someone needs to protect this child and the child she is carrying.
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There are risks to both childbirth and abortion.
Suppose we assume that this child will survive either.
Which is she more likely to regret at, say, the age of 40? Suppose she is never able to again become pregnant?
How many times a day for the rest of her life do you suppose she will think of the child that could have been?
That she killed?
Absolutely.
Which side is trying to protect the child she is carrying? The Pro-Life side. The Pro-abortion people don't care about protecting the baby.
Which side is trying to protect the teenager? Both sides make a claim to caring about her interests, but the Pro-abortion side has not demonstrated an honest interest in protecting people (see above).
Pro-Death agenda vs Pro-Life agenda. I don't think this case is hard at all.
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