Posted on 05/03/2005 9:50:07 AM PDT by IMissPresidentReagan
A judge has ruled that a 13-year-old girl at the center of an abortion fight with the state may terminate her pregnancy.
Juvenile Judge Ronald Alvarez (search) on Monday ruled that the teen, who has been in state custody for four years, would not be physically or emotionally harmed by the procedure. Last week, Alvarez blocked the girl's abortion until a psychological evaluation was completed.
"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 American Civil Liberties Union (search), which represented the girl.
The state Department of Children & Families had argued that the girl, known only in court papers as L.G., (search) was too young and immature to decide for herself to have an abortion. The agency said state law prohibited the agency from consenting to the procedure.
Children and families officials declined to comment Monday on whether they planned to appeal Alvarez's decision.
"Since this is still in litigation, I can't speak to what's going on in court," agency spokeswoman Marilyn Munoz told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Attorneys for the girl said the abortion was scheduled for Monday, but it was unclear whether the girl underwent the procedure.
The girl told the judge last week as part of the psychological evaluation process that she wanted an abortion, citing her age and no way to support a baby. The girl's attorneys argue that Florida law protects a minor's right to choose an abortion.
A measure is moving through the state Legislature to require notification of parents or guardians when girls seek abortion. In 2003, the Florida Supreme Court struck down a 1999 law requiring parents to be notified if their minor daughters seek an abortion.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
When she was raped.
It's "right" for a judge to make a legal decision. One could even argue that by requiring this teen to be evaluated he was engaging in a bit of pro-life activism with the teen's on-the-books right to have abortion on demand without any guardian interference. Unless there is a law requiring minors to be psychologically evaluated before having an abortion.
This would be a good law to pass, requiring minors be evaluated psychologically and physically before legally having an abortion because if an abortion is performed without such evaluations, the abortionist can be arrested and have his license revoked. The left wouldn't dare object to this law and their judges wouldn't dare fight it.
My sister in law. I have had this discussion with her. Not all women regret it later. I'm sure many do.
"If this girl was prostituting herself while she was gone for a month, she very well could have had several partners a day. She would not know who these guys were, nor exactly what day she became pregnant."
You're totally speculating, theres no report of anything like that happening.
Get a clue, will you? Many pimps force their adolescent (and adult) hookers to service dozens of men DAILY. If you believe the older man she was found living with was really a "boyfriend", you're living a fantasy land.
It's a very popular falsehood in the anti-abortion movement, that women always end up regretting their abortions. And never end up regetting NOT having had one.
We do know that she was missing from DCF for a month long period. How do you think that a 13 year old girl would support herself out on the street for that long?
That said, I'm dissapointed that the Judge doesn't seem to care HOW a 13 year old ward of the state dissapeared for a month and got pregnant?
You can call a fetus a baby once you figure out a way to put a diaper on it. When you can relate to me your in the womb experiences, you can call a fetus a baby. A fertilized egg does not a soul make.
What is the difference between two people having sex and using birth control to prevent an unwanted pregnancy and a person becoming pregnant and then deciding not to have the baby? Either way, you are preventing another baby from being born.
I'll tell you what. You find loving hetrosexual Christian parents (because God knows we cannot have gay couples raising otherwise unwanted kids) for all the kids in orphanages and foster homes and then you come talk to me about outlawing abortion.
I have a hard time believing this girl's mother would be allowed to take custody of the baby. After all, the state has taken custody of her 13 year old daughter!
Languishing in hospitals? In my community I know of several families that are waiting to adopt biracial babies. I have two couples close friends that have adopted not once but twice biracial babies. If the languish in foster homes it because of the ridiculous lengthy court procedures they must jump through in order to adopt. I know one couple that has had a child for 2 years and they still haven't decided whether or not to take parental rights for her birth mother.
People are all different. Some would regret it from day one, some never. You can't make these sweeping generalizations.
My SIL's rational is that it kept her (and the child) from being connected to a not very nice man. He was her first husband, who drank. She knew they would forever be tied together and she would never have the strength to leave with a baby. You can debate right or wrong, but she has no regrets.
I used to think that abortion was wrong. Until I started to meet people who had had one and listened to their reasons why. I found out that I could not impose myself as judge , jury and executioner upon them for decisions that they made under their individual circumstances. In a perfect world there would be no unwanted pregnancies. But this is far from perfect and these people have to do what they feel is right for their circumstance.
I wonder how many pro lifers are also against the sort of education that might prevent this sort of thing from happening with today's teenagers?
The girl is on record stating she wanted to keep it and have momma raise it. I bet the family would come out of the woodwork to keep that baby from being given away. I've seen it happen.
Otherwise, it's paradise here. At least our lives don't depend on having heat in the winter! I won't live anywhere else.
I think you directed your post to the wrong party.
I believe the lesson they are teaching (in error) not only this girl but all children and adults is that there are no consequences to our actions. You can do whatever you want and not suffer the consequences of your actions. Unfortunately this is not true and ultimately every person will be held accountable for their actions.
The R word gets avoided to much. Reality matters, whether its about race or about economics or anything else. Reality is that someone wanting to adopt a reasonably healthy white infant will wait years, and pay 10s of thousands of dollars. Someone wanting to adopt a reasonably healthy black infant or a disabled white infant can do so in a matter of weeks, will be PAID to do it, and will be eligible for regular payments for the next 18 years in many cases. A baby born to a 13 year old who didn't want it, got no prenatal care in her first trimester, and was almost certainly drinking and doing drugs during her first trimester, is very unlikely to be full term or healthy. And you can adopt a whole bunch of black babies fitting that description, just as fast as the paperwork can get processed, and get paid for each one -- there's a virtually unlimited supply of them.
Otherwise, it's paradise here. At least our lives don't depend on having heat in the winter! I won't live anywhere else.
I think you directed your post to the wrong party.
I would like to see abortion gone. But gone because America chose for that to be the case, not by judicial fiat. (Which is how we got Roe in the first place.)
I totally and thoroughly agree with you about the lack of concern for the babies once they are born. I have been going to March for Life rallies since I was 10 and have been a part of the pro-life movement in every church I ever belonged to. But I, too, moved a bit from the extreme when I heard some of the hatred towards women who chose abortion. And the total lack of concern by many how these children are raised afterwards. That made me sick to my stomach and has pushed me just a bit away from the rapid right on this.
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