Free Republic

Teen Screen Lawsuit Advances: Federal Court Affirms Family’s Right to Sue School for Subjecting Teen to Mental Health Test Without Parental Consent SOUTH BEND, Ind.—A federal court has given the green light to a civil rights lawsuit filed by Rutherford Institute attorneys in defense of a 15-year-old Indiana student who was subjected by school officials to a controversial mental health examination without the knowledge or consent of her parents. In ruling that the lawsuit filed on behalf of Chelsea Rhoades and her parents, Teresa and Michael, may proceed to trial, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana...

Legislative leaders, voting along party lines on Thursday, rejected proposed legislation that would require parental consent for schools to give children 14 and under prescription drugs, including birth control pills. Republican Sen. Douglas Smith of Dover-Foxcroft, who sponsored the measure, denounced Democratic leaders for not allowing the issue to be considered this session. "This is a fundamental right we are talking about here," Smith said. "This is a parental right to control the prescription drugs their children are taking. The Democratic majority today felt that the state should have the right to intercede in that, and that is an unfortunate...

It’s Still Children By: Bethany Stotts It’s Still Elementary (ISE), a retrospective documentary featuring the motivations behind and public’s response to the controversial 1996 It's Elementary (IE) film on homosexuality, premiered November 28th at none other than the National Education Association’s (NEA) Washington, D.C. facility. ......... Chen denies that teachers are overstepping their grounds by discussing gay issues with young, impressionable children in grades as early as kindergarten. “All teachers have the right, and the responsibility, to weave respectful, age-appropriate messages about LGBT people and issues into their lessons and classrooms,” Chen said. The “New Call to Action” handout issued...

Make no mistake about it - when the nation's largest pro-life group endorsed Fred Thompson on Tuesday its goal was to shake up the Republican contest for the presidency. The National Right to Life's endorsement is the gold standard coveted by those Republicans seeking the White House because it bestows a legitimacy and authenticity on the candidate who receives it as the standard-bearer for those who want to end abortion on demand. The Thompson endorsement not only signals how the organization representing 3,000 pro-life groups has grown up, but it shows just how close the country is to seeing Roe...

The Alaska Supreme Court threw out an embattled state law Friday that required parental or judicial consent before a teenager can have an abortion. In a 3-2 decision, the court said the consent requirement robs a pregnant teen of her constitutional right to make such an important decision herself and transfers that right to her parents or a judge. However, a law that required parents to be notified of a juvenile daughter's plan to have an abortion would probably be all right, said Chief Justice Dana Fabe in the majority decision for the court. It's a option many other states...

Portland, Maine (AP) -- A husband and wife accused of kidnapping their daughter to force her to have an abortion last year have reached a plea agreement in which they will serve no time behind bars, the couple's lawyer said Wednesday. Nicholas and Lola Kampf have agreed to plead guilty Friday to misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct charges to resolve the case, said Thomas Hallett, Nicholas Kampf's attorney. Under the agreement, the couple will avoid jail time and the assault charge will be dropped once they complete counseling, Hallett said. "The reality is this was a family matter from the...

Appeals Court Asked To Hold State Responsible for Illegally Strip Searching Children MILWAUKEE, WI, August 30, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Today Liberty Counsel filed a brief at the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in a case involving a state worker who made two elementary children undress without parental consent. The case is Michael C. v. Gresbach. The eight-year-old boy, his nine-year-old sister and their parents are represented by Stephen Crampton, Vice President of Legal Affairs and General Counsel for Liberty Counsel, and Wisconsin attorney Michael D. Dean. The case involves Dana Gresbach, a social worker from the Bureau of Milwaukee Child...

WILMINGTON (AP) — A 40-year-old high school science teacher and cross country coach who once worked in Guilford County has resigned his position and married a 16-year-old student. Brenton Wuchae coached Windy Hager at South Brunswick High School, where she recently completed her sophomore year as one of the school's top runners. He also lives less than two miles away from the Hagers' home on Oak Island. Wuchae married Hager in Brunswick County on Monday, according to a marriage license. Hager's parents, Dennis and Betty Hager, said they did all they could to keep the couple apart after noticing a...

BOISE, Idaho - A bill that would require unmarried girls under 18 in Idaho to get consent from their parents before getting an abortion has moved a step closer to becoming law. The Senate voted 23-12 Monday for the measure that would require most girls to get written permission from one parent before the procedure could be performed. Girls who don't want to tell their parents can petition a judge to allow an abortion in cases of incest or abuse, a medical emergency or if the judge decides the girl is mature enough to decide on her own. "We require...

Forms, which must be notarized, also warn teens of medical risks AUSTIN — After 13 months of intense pressure from opposing factions, the state has adopted rules requiring written — and notarized — parental consent forms for girls under age 18 to get abortions. The new forms span six pages, warn of medical risks and tout "women's right to know" brochures backed by abortion opponents, said those on opposite sides of the issue. The rules would take effect 20 days later. Patrick said the governor's office backed the final form approved late last week, which requires parents' written consent be...

Hagerstown, MD (LifeNews.com) -- When the Senate approved a bill last week prohibiting taking a teenager to another state for an abortion without her parents' knowledge or consent, abortion advocates claimed the practice rarely occurs. However, the director of a Maryland abortion business says it routinely gets calls from teens wanting to avoid parental involvement laws. Teenagers in Pennsylvania's York County are apparently heading to the Hagerstown Reproductive Health Services abortion business in neighboring Maryland. They appear to be wanting to avoid a Pennsylvania state law that requires parental consent for a minor girl to have an abortion and requires...

Senate Passes Interstate Abortion Bill (AP) WASHINGTON A bill that would make it a crime to take a pregnant girl across state lines for an abortion without her parents' knowledge passed the Senate Tuesday, but vast differences with the House version stood between the measure and President Bush's desk. The 65-34 vote gave the Senate's approval to the bill, which would make taking a pregnant girl to another state for the purposes of evading parental notification laws punishable by fines and up to a year in jail. The girl and her parents would be exempt from prosecution, and the bill...

The Senate reopened the abortion debate Friday in advance of the midterm elections, this time over a bill that would make it a federal crime to take a teenager across state lines to end a pregnancy without a parent's knowledge. Supporters of the bill say such incidents often occur when a girl, or the man involved, wants to evade homestate parental consent laws. Opponents say the bill would make criminals of well-meaning confidants, such as relatives and clergy members, who might help a pregnant teen whose parents are abusive. Much of the discussion Friday concerned how to balance a parent's...

<p>Young women will not need their parents' permission before getting emergency contraception, the state Senate voted Thursday. The topic was debated hotle before the bill failed, 14-10.</p> <p>"Every young woman in the state should have a right to make a decision that's not abortion or childbirth," Cornish Sen. Peter Burling, a Democrat, said.</p>

For all the passions they generate, laws that require minors to notify their parents or get permission to have an abortion do not appear to have produced the sharp drop in teenage abortion rates that some advocates hoped for, an analysis by The New York Times shows. The analysis, which looked at six states that introduced parental involvement laws in the last decade and is believed to be the first study to include data from years after 1999, found instead a scattering of divergent trends. For instance, in Tennessee, the abortion rate went down when a federal court suspended a...

SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah House passed a bill Friday requiring girls younger than 18 to get parental consent before they may undergo an abortion. Current law requires doctors to notify a girl's parents before ending her pregnancy, but the parents need not consent to the procedure. Lawmakers voted 65-8 to approve the new measure, sending it to the Senate. Only Democrats voted against it. The bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Kerry Gibson, said such decisions should be made within families, not just in consultation with a medical provider or counselor. "We're trying to bring the rights and the decision-making...

A good discussion of Doe v. Bolton is found at: DOE v. BOLTON, 410 U.S. 179 (1973) -- http://www.peopleforlife.org/bolton.html From this discussion and text, it is my opinion that Doe v. Bolton deals with the constitutionality of restrictions on abortion. I may be wrong. The important case that maybe Doe v. Bolton might be challenged on is: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/qp/04-01144qp.pdf -- AYOTTE, ATTORNEY. GEN. OF NH V. PLANNED PARENTHOOD That is why this is a question thread. It is my understanding that Doe v. Bolton addressed the question of placing restrictions on abortion. If that is true, then perhaps Doe v. Bolton...

Ohio's law requiring girls under age 18 to get a parent's consent for an abortion is constitutional and may be enforced, a federal court ruled Thursday. The law also requires a woman seeking an abortion to meet with a doctor at least 24 hours before having the procedure to get a description of the procedure, its risks and alternatives. An exception in the law allows a minor to seek a judge's permission to bypass the parental consent requirement. "Plaintiffs' evidence does not demonstrate that H.B. 421 imposes undue burdens on the abortion right even when viewed in a highly deferential...

Doctors could face death penalty for illegal abortions, some say By Tommy Witherspoon Tribune-Herald staff writer Saturday, August 27, 2005 Doctors who perform illegal abortions in Texas could be prosecuted for capital murder and face a death sentence under recent changes in Texas law that have resulted in apparent unintended consequences. While officials familiar with the new legislation say such prosecutions are unlikely, the possibility of a doctor on death row, whether intentional or not, puts a sharp focus on the importance of analyzing legislative activity every two years, officials say. That's what Lindsey Roberts, director of training for the...

Parental consent is not always required in Tennessee Circuit Court Judge Rita Stotts was floored when an unwed teenage mother wound up in her courtroom earlier this year seeking approval for an abortion without her parents' consent. The shock was learning that Tennessee law allowed it and that it was a matter for circuit judges to decide. "I demanded to see the statute because I had no clue, and I would imagine there are a lot of other citizens who are not aware of it." Judge D'Army Bailey also recalled his surprise the first time a pregnant girl and several...

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide a long-unsettled issue of abortion law: the standard to be used in judging the constitutionality of a restriction on a women's right to end a pregnancy. The issue arises in the case of Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (docket 04-1144). The case also raises the question whether a parental consent law for minors' abortions must contain a health exception.

Should minors be allowed to get abortions without parental consent? Yes. No. No opinion.

State law requires children to get their parents' permission to obtain an aspirin at school, but not to get a two-inch, 12-gauge needle run through their tongue at a piercing shop. Assemblywoman Sharon Runner claims the lack of regulation over piercing is ludicrous, and that California has a vested interest in protecting minors from putting holes in themselves. "I think parents need to know exactly what their children are doing when it's something that might affect their health and welfare for the rest of their lives," the Lancaster Republican said. Runner has proposed legislation, Assembly Bill 646, that would ban...

House OKs Bill Toughening Abortion Consent 6 minutes ago By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - The House passed a bill Wednesday that would make it illegal to dodge parental-consent laws by taking minors across state lines for abortions, the latest effort to chip away at abortion rights after Republican gains in the November elections. By 270-157, the House sent the bill to the Senate, where it has new momentum as an item on the Republicans' top 10 list of legislative priorities. Voting for it were 216 Republicans and 54 Democrats. Voting against it were 145 Democrats, 11 Republicans...

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday to reinstate a state law requiring girls under age 18 to get parental consent for abortions except under the most dire of medical emergencies. Without comment, justices let stand a lower court ruling that struck down the Idaho law because its provisions on emergency abortions were too strict. The Supreme Court in its landmark 1973 case, Roe v. Wade, ruled that a woman has a constitutional right to abortion before the fetus is viable and to terminate her pregnancy if it poses a risk to her health. At issue was whether...

SACRAMENTO - One of the first initiatives likely to qualify for November's anticipated special election is a measure that would require minors to notify their parents at least 48 hours prior to having an abortion. The proposed state constitutional amendment is sure to set off an emotional debate among anti-abortion and abortion rights forces -- and put Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a socially moderate Republican, in an awkward position. The measure could also overshadow the governor's agenda, which centers on more mundane matters, such as public pensions. "For every voter who cares in an abstract way about pension reform, there are...

LITTLE ROCK (AP) -- Gov. Mike Huckabee signed a bill into law Thursday that requires females under age 18 to obtain parental consent before having an abortion. "Life is sacred. It's special," Huckabee said. "It should be protected at all costs." Huckabee signed the bill at the state Capitol with more than two dozen members of the Arkansas Legislature standing behind him. The bill received widespread support while it was in the legislature, with thousands of Arkansans marching Jan. 22 to protest abortion in the 27th annual March for Life, which marked the U.S. Supreme Court ruling case that...

WND LAW OF THE LAND Schools barred from telling parents of abortion California AG says leaving campus for certain services confidential Posted: December 3, 2004 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com California schools cannot inform parents if their children leave campus to receive certain confidential medical services that include abortion, AIDS treatment and psychological analysis, according to an opinion issued by the office of state Attorney General Bill Lockyer. The opinion was prompted by resistance from teachers unions and groups such as Planned Parenthood to a Sacramento-based lobby group's efforts to help schools enact a "parent-friendly" policy requiring parental notification...

ON CAPITOL HILL Lawmaker tries to block mental-health screening Rep. Paul offers language to require parental consent for evaluating kids Posted: November 18, 2004 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, is making a final attempt this week to lessen the impact of a new program that calls for all the nation's children to be screened for mental-health problems, offering language to the federal omnibus spending bill that would require parental consent before such testing could be done. As WorldNetDaily reported, in September Paul attempted to have the program removed from Labor, HHS and Education Appropriations Act....

The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit on Monday to block what it described as a misleading ballot measure that could lead to a parental-notice requirement for teen abortions. The measure was put on the November ballot by the state Legislature after the Florida Supreme Court struck down another parental notification law as unconstitutional. The amendment, if approved, would allow the Legislature, for the third time, to pass such a law. The suit, filed by the ACLU and several chapters of Planned Parenthood, asks that the circuit court in Tallahassee issue an injunction keeping the measure off the Nov. 2...

Shooting at an Abortion Clinic Police are looking for this teenager BREAKING NEWS out of Palm Desert, where sheriff's deputies are searching for a teenager who witnesses say dragged his girlfriend out of an abortion clinic, and then shot her in the head.  Slideshow Witnesses say the couple was arguing before the 17 year old shot his girlfriend in the waiting area. The girl is in critical condition. We're live with late details as they become available on ABC7 Eyewitness News.

Iowa Lawmakers Will Not Pursue Underage Piercing Consent Law Friday, March 12, 2004, 7:25:16 PM From The KCRG-TV9 Cedar Rapids Newsroom Iowa lawmakers will not moved ahead on requiring parental consent for all underage piercings. Right now, Iowa law prohibits anyone under the age of 18 from getting a tattoo for any reason. But there are no laws keeping minors from getting body piercings. House majority leader Chuck Gipp of Decorah says he doesn't intend to debate a bill that would require parental consent on piercings.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Friday vetoed a bill that would have tightened a law requiring girls to receive a judicial waiver for an abortion if they do not have parental approval. The legislation would have let judges grant a waiver only if a girl under 17 shows a level of maturity based on factors including her ability to comprehend information, dependence on her parents, sexual history, school attendance and academic performance. Judges currently can grant a parental consent waiver if they determine an abortion is in a girl's best interest or that she is mature enough...

<p>A controversial decision by Roseville school trustees to defy their lawyers and forbid students from leaving campus for medical appointments without their parents' knowledge is reverberating throughout the region. One district in Fairfield has followed Roseville's lead -- voting 6-1 Thursday to ban confidential medical appointments for students -- while officials in the Vacaville and Travis school districts are weighing the issue. Vacaville trustees are expected to vote in the coming weeks.</p>

Anchorage, AK (LifeNews.com) -- An Alaska judge on Monday declared a law unconstitutional that requires abortion facilities to obtain the consent of a teen's parents before performing an abortion on her. Similar pro-life laws have reduced the number of teen abortions in other states. Superior Court Judge Sen Tan admitted the state had several reasons why it considered the law necessary, though he felt the law did not go far enough in protecting teens who are victims of child abuse. However, the law is patterned after U.S. Supreme Court requirements that include a judicial bypass for teens who are victims...

“The “Leave it to Beaver’s” out there believe that strong parenting alone will keep teens from getting pregnant, but this is not always the case these days. Let’s face it, June has gone to work, she doesn’t wear aprons anymore and Ward does not come home at 4:30 p.m. everyday,” said Representative Sue Jeskewitz (R-Menomonee Falls) today. “I am not advocating that teens have sex, but let’s face it, many of them are. This waiver is about reducing teen pregnancies and abortions.” Jeskewitz is referring to two bills on the fast-track in Madison, AB-383 and SB-186, which seek to increase...

MADISON, Wis. -- A bill introduced in the state Assembly would make it illegal for businesses to pierce a minor's ears without parental consent. State health codes prohibit stores from piercing other body parts of minors, but there is no control over ear piercing, said state Rep. Bonnie Ladwig, R-Racine, who introduced the bill. The codes are enforced by health officials. Ladwig pierced her children's ears when they were young, but said times have changed.

Changes would make it harder for teens to obtain abortion without parental consentSunday, July 20, 2003By Judy PutnamLansing Bureau LANSING -- Controversial legislation would make it harder for teens to terminate pregnancies without their parents' consent, both sides of the issue agree. But they bitterly disagree over whether that is desirable. About 600 times a year, a pregnant teen asks a Michigan judge to allow an abortion without permission from her parents. A 1990 law otherwise requires parental consent for those under age 18. Most times -- in 79 percent of the 628 cases last year -- the judge agrees,...

Life on the Ballot, a consortium of California volunteer groups, will be collecting signatures for an abortion parental-notification bill for the November, 2004 election. If they get enough signatures, it may be because the rules of the game have changed: This time, there is solid agreement that the law allows signature-gathering on church property. Three major legal advocacy organizations -- the Becket Fund, the Thomas More Law Center, and the Life Legal Defense Foundation -- buttress this argument. Katie Short, legal director of the Life Legal Defense Foundation, says that her group and others hope to allay fears that churches...

CONCORD — Gov. Craig Benson yesterday signed legislation requiring teenagers to notify their parents if they want to have an abortion. When HB 763 becomes law Dec. 31, it will mark the first time since Roe v. Wade that New Hampshire has placed restrictions on abortions. Before signing the bill in Executive Council Chambers in front of about 40 supporters, lawmakers and anti-abortion rights activists, Benson said, “We are giving parents their rights back. I can’t think of a better gift that we can give to the parents in the state of New Hampshire than allowing them to participate in...

CONCORD, N.H. - New Hampshire's Senate narrowly passed a bill Thursday that would require parental notification before girls under 18 can get abortions, moving a step closer to giving the state its only law regulating abortion. The bill, which passed 12-11, was similar to one that cleared the House in March by six votes. Senate President Tom Eaton, a Republican, declined to vote on the measure. The Senate's amended version now heads back to the House. The Legislature has regularly defeated parental notice or parental consent bills for about 20 years. Republican Gov. Craig Benson's opposition to abortion encouraged supporters...

CONCORD, N.H. - Most New Hampshire residents think minors should be required to get permission before having an abortion, a new poll found. However, residents also think abortion should remain legal, according the poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. The New Hampshire House has passed a bill requiring minors to tell a parent or a judge about a planned abortion. A state Senate committee will hold a public hearing on the bill May 13. The telephone poll conducted in mid-April found 61 percent of respondents favor passage of a law requiring a minor to get parental...

Child Sex Abuse Cover Up at Planned Parenthood and National Abortion Federation A LADY'S CHOICE- WOMEN'S MEDICAL CENTER MORENO VALLEY, CA 92553 909-247-0119 TAPE - 847 listen to call from 14 year old girl (Dialing, phone ringing 2x)CLINIC: Hello. May I help you? CALLER: Hi. Yeah. Do you guys do abortions there?CLINIC: Yes, we do.CALLER: Oh, okay. That's what I was calling about. Do you know how much it cost for that?CLINIC: Yeah. If you're between 12 weeks and under, it's $320 cash.CALLER: Well, how do you know how far along you are?CLINIC: You have to do a ?? what...

The Proof is on tape. You listen, you judge!Tell your Friends!    Write your Elected Officials!! PLANNED PARENTHOOD 1920 MARENGO ST. LOS ANGELES, CA 90033-1391 323-223-4462 Tape 151 PLANNED PARENTHOOD 1316 3RD ST PROMENDADE # B5 SANTA MONICA, CA 90401-1324 310-395-0098 TAPE - 152 PLANNED PARENTHOOD 1855 N FAIR OAKS AVE PASADENA, CA 91103-1620 626-296-8228 TAPE - 153 PLANNED PARENTHOOD 1045 N LAKE AVE PASADENA, CA 91104-4596 626-798-0706 TAPE - 154 PLANNED PARENTHOOD 918 W FOOTHILL BLVD. # A UPLAND, CA 91786-3772 909-985-0065 TAPE - 155 PLANNED PARENTHOOD 1295 BROADWAY CHULA VISTA, CA 91911-2976 619-585-4779 TAPE - 156 PLANNED PARENTHOOD...

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans want to make it a federal crime to transport a minor across state lines for an abortion to circumvent parental consent laws. Opponents say such a law would only hurt vulnerable teen-agers. The bill was expected to pass the House on Wednesday, but its status in the Democratic-controlled Senate is doubtful. Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., called the bill "blatantly unconstitutional, and it will not see the light of day because the Senate will not touch it." The measure is designed to "safeguard minor girls' physical and emotional health," Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., chairman of the House...

VISIT TO AN AMERICAN PUBLIC SCHOOL FROM HELL-OBERVATIONS OF A MAD DAD! My teenager & I recently made a visit to a local public high school, McCann Technical School, North Adams, MAss., (413)-664-9424, www.mccanntech.org. This is what we found, and why my child will not be sent to a public school in America today up in old New England. A poster I noted in the guidance dep't, "Evolution may take millions of years, but..." The theory of evoution is scientifically impossible. The very increadible order of every part of the physical world testifies to the clear presence of intelligent design....

From: The Pro-Life Infonet Reply-To: Steven Ertelt Subject: Planned Parenthood Admits "Judge Shopping" for Teen Abortions in Texas Source: Houston Chronicle; March 24, 2002 Planned Parenthood Admits "Judge Shopping" for Teen Abortions in Texas Houston, TX -- Abortion facilities seeking to perform abortions on teenage girls in Texas are abusing the judicial bypass of the state's recently-passed parental notifcation law by taking their cases before sympathetic judges in counties outside the home jurisdiction of the abortion facility and the teen. Abortion facilities are avoiding courts in Harris and Dallas counties and turning to judges in neighboring Bexar and Travis counties....