Posted on 02/21/2012 9:43:50 AM PST by Responsibility2nd
A family court judge who ruled that a pregnant woman with schizophrenia should undergo an abortion and be sterilized sharply defended her decision yesterday, while denouncing Boston University for withdrawing what she said was a job offer amid the controversy.
In a rare personal defense of the reasoning behind a court ruling, Christina Harms, who retired from the bench last month after 23 years, said she concluded that the woman, a 31-year-old who suffered from delusions, would choose to terminate her pregnancy if she were mentally competent, chiefly so that she could resume antipsychotic medication that would have harmed the fetus.
I believed then, as I do now, that she would elect to abort the pregnancy to protect her own well-being, she said. She would want to be healthy.
Speaking in detail for the first time about the decision, which an appeals court reversed last month in unsparing terms, Harms described the case as a tragic set of circumstances for which no outcome would have been easy or obviously correct. The woman had described herself as very Catholic and expressed opposition to an abortion, while her parents were seeking consent for the procedure.
In a letter that she sent yesterday to other family court judges in Massachusetts, Harms outlined the reasons for her determination and criticized the appeals court ruling, which she called simplistic and unfair.
The appeals court ruled that the woman had clearly expressed her opposition to abortion as a Catholic, but Harms wrote that the statements of a person suffering from schizophrenia surely cannot simply be taken at face value.
Harms said she has requested a meeting with the chief judge of the appeals court to register her objection to the insulting tone of the decision.
She also stated that Boston Universitys law school rescinded a job offer shortly after her decision came to light, an abrupt move she said could discourage judges from making unpopular decisions.
It strikes at the heart of what judicial independence is about, she said. We need to protect judges from the popularity of the moment.
A BU spokesman said yesterday that the university never officially offered the job but acknowledged that it eliminated her from consideration for the job - a new position that would guide students toward judicial clerkships - after her ruling came to light and stirred public outcry.
more....
Was your post intended to be only for my eyes?
Atheistic socialism is the norm there and I am fully and wholly surprised her decision wasn't upheld.
I'm sure she was as surprised as I am that the upper court didn't go along with her humanist act of human sacrifice to Satan.
We have a freeper who is so conservative...he supports government forced sterilization
I suppose you are right. But if I weren’t a social conservative I wouldn’t post here. It’s just odd, especially because so many of them voluntarily opus out and draw the lightning without any provocation from anyone. It’s like they want the zot. Do they give out zottee compensation over at DU or something?
Wal Mart sells bc pills for $4/month, $10 for three months, but apparently we need to get the government involved in our bedrooms.
Don't think China can happen here? How about if the same government decided who could AND COULD NOT have access to birth control. I suppose that would scare you.
Thanx for the pingie. I find this hard to believe, but then again....I have an hour long commute from Cambridge MA to my home in NH. I will see how the local talk show hosts handle this one....
Wal Mart sells bc pills for $4/month, $10 for three months, but apparently we need to get the government involved in our bedrooms.
Don't think China can happen here? How about if the same government decided who could AND COULD NOT have access to birth control. I suppose that would scare you.
The appellate court was scathing in it’s reversal. I wish I didn’t close the tab and could’ve posted the link. Unbelievable what these people think.
The appellate court was scathing in it’s reversal. I wish I didn’t close the tab and could’ve posted the link. Unbelievable what these people think.
Trisham, could you add me to the “Bully Posse” ping list? I rarely have time to participate these days, but I do hate to miss a good zot.
Catholic and schizophrenic.
Just like Joan of Arc...
“Bully Posse” ping.
IBTZ
JUST WOW! Now we are to accept the forcible murder of our offspring. We are now officially a banana republic.
Do you know whether or not the child was actually aborted? The story at the top does not directly treat the case in question.
I don’t believe the child was killed. The article I read didn’t say so explicitly (Boston Herald), but I’m sick as a dog today so I may have missed it.
Let me see if I've got this straight:
1. A judge forcing a woman to have an abortion against her will is okay with you.
2. A judge ordering the sterilization of a woman against her will is okay with you.
3. People on the internet that you perceive as "bullies" (I assume this group includes those who vocally oppose things like forced abortion and sterilization) are a problem.
Did I make any mistakes?
I was once a libertarian, a long time ago. I was pro-choice, pro-gay, pro-porn and pro-drug. Then I grew up, got a job, got married and moved out of mom’s basement. For me, at least, that changed everything.
Whatever it takes to see you more often. :)
I’m bipolar. I raised 2 wonderful sons. One is a great father of 2 children & the other is a US Marine. I’m guessing according to you they should have been murdered in my womb.
cindie
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