Judge Okays Abortion For Girl, 13

St. Petersburg Times ^ | 5/3/05 | Associated Press

[areafiftyone]

WEST PALM BEACH - A 13-year-old at the center of an abortion fight with the state was given permission Monday to terminate her pregnancy, but it was unclear whether she immediately underwent the procedure.

Attorneys for the girl, known only as L.G. in court papers, said the abortion was scheduled for later Monday. However, the state Department of Children and Families appealed the decision, according to Maxine Williams, one of the teen's attorneys.

"Since this is still in litigation, I can't speak to what's going on in court," DCF spokeswoman Marilyn Munoz said.

Palm Beach Juvenile Judge Ronald Alvarez issued an order last week temporarily stopping the teen, who lives in a state shelter, from having the abortion. DCF argued she was too young and immature to decide for herself and state law prohibited the agency from consenting to an abortion.

Alvarez held up the abortion until a psychological evaluation was completed, but he ruled Monday that the teen would not be physically or emotionally harmed by the abortion.

"Legally speaking, it's not a difficult decision to make," Alvarez was quoted as saying by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "Morally speaking, it's a very difficult decision for this court to make. ... But I'm not here to make the moral decision. I'm here to make the legal decisions."

"He ruled that she is competent, that she has made a decision and that she has a right to act on that decision," said Howard Simon, executive director of the Florida branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, which helped represent the girl. The judge also declared "her right to act on that decision is also in her best interest," Simon said.

The teen, who was more than 14 weeks pregnant, has been in DCF care for at least four years.

Her attorneys say Florida law protects a minor's right to choose an abortion.

Florida's high court cited state privacy rights in 1989 when it tossed out a law that would have required parental consent for a minor's abortion.

[NJ_gent]

"then a judge returns the child to a bio parent, who doesn't intend to do a thing to continue the progress."

If your point is that some judges are idiots, then you're absolutely right. You'll find idiots in any profession. A lot of judges in custody cases will give the child to the mother regardless of her environment (drugs, alcohol, revolving door of boyfriends, no job, etc) and regardless of how good and stable the father's environment is. I've seen that much first-hand.

[NJ_gent]

"Foriegn adoptions have the same BS redtape crap that domestic adoptions do."

That depends entirely on the laws of the country in which the adoption is taking place.

"Foreign adoptions aren't cheap or easy."

They aren't as cheap as taking an unwanted child (crack baby, retarded child, mentally disturbed child, etc) domestically, but they can certainly be a lot cheaper than cherry-picking one here. Travel expenses can indeed be the biggest cost component for a foreign adoption. State department fees and such aren't very much at all, and the child automatically becomes a US citizen the moment it reaches US soil, so long as you've done everything legally.

[pnz1]

Speaking as someone in the adoption process, any adoption is probably not going to be "easy".

[LowOiL]

At 13 your character is not molded for life.

At 13 you have most of your character molded. It can be near impossible to correct the damage done.

Read "To Train Up A Child" by Michael and Debi Pearl.

You can read the first chapter here...

http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/index.php?id=11

[theinwithin]

America has lost its way.

[econ_grad]

This is the ultimate case of politicians passing on the buck. I bet every politician who passed this kind of notification law was showing off their pro-life credentials, but queitly they simply passed it on to the judiciary. The fault is of the politicians who support such law so that they can diffuse their garden variety pro-life advocates without actually doing anything to end abortion. The right can be stupid too.

[NJ_gent]

"Speaking as someone in the adoption process, any adoption is probably not going to be "easy"."

'Easy' in this case being a relative term. The 'process' in some countries is undoubtedly far less strenuous, time-consuming, and costly than it is here. The problem we have over here is that people actually care when social services hands a kid over to a child rapist. In other parts of the world, children are bought and sold as commodities on a regular basis.

[Goodgirlinred]

I read that part. Why did she run away? That is the point. She reached a point where she felt the need to run away. Why didn't they catch that?

[pnz1]

I don't know what those countries are. Most of them I'm familiar with need proof of residence, mulitiple police and health clearances, etc.

[Goodgirlinred]

Very interesting. Keep us informed.

[Fruit of the Spirit]

"was statutory rape involved"

Excellent question!

13 years old!!!! Unbelievable!

[TigersEye]

"Legally speaking, it's not a difficult decision to make," Alvarez was quoted as saying by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "Morally speaking, it's a very difficult decision for this court to make. ... But I'm not here to make the moral decision. I'm here to make the legal decisions."

He's right about that. It's too bad that the Supreme Court didn't understand and respect that when they decided Roe v. Wade.

[theDentist]

...he ruled Monday that the teen would not be physically or emotionally harmed by the abortion.

IF she's be physically and emotionally spent by having the child, then I can't see how having an abortion any less so.

[verity]

"The sad fact is that, two hundred or three hundred years from now, free peoples will look back on us with the same disgust and incomprehension that we look back on slaveholders with. Abortion is the slavery of the twenty-first century, and we will be remembered in history for what we do to oppose it."

I think this is wishful thinking, Chuck. Society is far too pragmatic to morally evolve in this manner [IMHO].

[subterfuge]

Yeah, I call a 'rush to kill.' They enjoy it so.

[divulger]

Where's that outrage that was expressed when Terri Schiavo's life was surrendered?

Here we have an "innocent" baby being sucked into a sink through NO FAULT of his/her own and (relatively speaking) nothing. But let one woman, due in large part to HER OWN actions and decisions years ago, die because she can't feed herself and the country becomes infuriated.

The Terri Schiavo case is tragic and I'm not making light of it but... talk about sick.

What has become of what's right?

Deliver us now Lord!

[divulger]

Where's that outrage that was expressed when Terri Schiavo's life was surrendered?

Here we have an "innocent" baby being sucked into a sink through NO FAULT of his/her own and (relatively speaking) nothing. But let one woman, due in large part to HER OWN actions and decisions years ago, die because she can't feed herself and the country becomes infuriated.

The Terri Schiavo case is tragic and I'm not making light of it but... talk about sick.

What has become of what's right?

Deliver us now Lord!

[babygene]

"was statutory rape involved"

Since a girl that is 13 is too young to consent to have sex, it was rape since it was without her consent. It Doesn't make a difference how old the rapist father was or is.

A pregnancy that is a result of a rape could be considered a continued assault on the victim. If you look at it that way, she has a right to defend herself. Not only from the rapist but from the offspring of the rapist.

[Who dat?]

Thank God, we have the assurance that this child will be held in the arms of Christ soon.

I suspect the aborted child will fare much better than the judge, assuming that happens. He'll be judged himself at some point. The consequences will be of an eternal nature.

[newfarm4000n]

Since a girl that is 13 is too young to consent to have sex, it was rape since it was without her consent. It Doesn't make a difference how old the rapist father was or is.

If a 14 yo has sex with a 13 yo its rape ??