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Posted on 05/03/2005 7:33:22 AM PDT by 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.
Probably won't matter. The so-called father is probably just as irresponsible as she is and will welcome the abortion.
Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.
Good Lord, how sick. That sickening stench you smell is the decay and rot of our society.
So she was raped while in state care. Chalk up another one for the Florida DCF.
"The teenager's life is not over. Her childhood is. Her childhood may have been over years ago. This is very, very sad."
I have to agree with you.
So sad. This girl never had a childhood!
Mindless cliches. Chapter One.
On what proof do you make that accusation?
So true. Awful.
How is murdering the baby going to help things?
I see no grey in this matter. She could be carrying the child that cures cancer for all we know.
How is being adopted by loving parents "adoption hell?"
The real problem is that she very well could choose to keep the baby. This would be her right, but the poor kid is almost certainly in no position to care for a baby. The infant would likely end up another ward of DCF, and the cycle would repeat.
Prayers for all involved.
Culture of death alert.
There's nothing gray about this. It's not the baby's fault the mom is an idiot. As far as not knowing the circumstances, again, not the baby's fault. Feel to dream up any extraordinary possibilities you like by channelling the ghost of Erskin Caldwell, but it won't matter.
What is grey - that the baby won't be "loved"? God, think of all the lonely or obnoxious people we could execute by that standard!
Adoption hell??? As an adoptive parent, I take offense at that. And as the kind of person who supports abortion, you no doubt agree that offending others is vastly worse than butchering innocent babies, so you are destined to rot in (PC) hell your own self.
sadness ping
That won't be a popular post but I agree. This kid is probably screwed up bad and has no business having babies. If she had this baby most likely the court would let her keep the child if that's what she wanted. They'd live in a foster home after foster home together. She'd be a terrible mother and probably end up having several more kids, all of which would end up being wards of the state who would probably end up being as screwed up as their mother. Then they'd have a bunch of kids themselves at a young age who would probably end up as wards of the state or on government assistance. It just keeps on going.
I see these kids all the time in juvenile court. Their parents are worthless. The kids are perpetual screw ups like their parents that I'll see in adult felony court a few years down the road, just like I see their parents now. They get pregnant as teens, just like their mothers did and like their mothers they end up being terrible parents with screwed up kids. Only it starts out with a couple of bad parents and then through these accelerated generations the family tree fans out like a pyramid from the top down.
Murdering a innocent child is not the answer. There are many loving, stable, two-parent families who would love to adopt this child. She should give birth and the child should be immediately placed in her adoptive home, all strings cut to the bio. mother. The 13 year old should be given the birth control shot that lasts awhile.
Also, states need to make adoptive parents feel more secure in their adoption. People are less willingly to get involved in the adoption process because the states do all kinds of crazy thing later, like taking the child back, giving out your info. etc....
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