GreekChat.com Forums - Florida courts, abortion rights of 13yo

GreekChat.com Forums (https://greekchat.com/gcforums/index.php)

- News & Politics (https://greekchat.com/gcforums/forumdisplay.php?f=207)

- - Florida courts, abortion rights of 13yo (https://greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=66157)

Florida courts, abortion rights of 13yo

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4500245.stm wrote:

Quote:

A pregnant 13-year-old girl in Florida has been told she cannot have an abortion because she lacks the maturity to make such a decision.

A state court granted an injunction which prevents the girl from terminating her pregnancy.

She is three months pregnant and had planned to have an abortion on Tuesday of this week.

The American Civil Liberties Union says it will launch an urgent appeal against the ruling.

'Too young to chose'

Florida's department of children and families intervened and took the matter to court, arguing the teenager, who is under the care of the state, is too young and immature to make an informed medical decision. Judge Ronald Alvarez in Palm Beach accepted that argument and has granted a temporary injunction and psychological evaluation, which effectively blocks her from terminating the pregnancy.

It is a case which, once again, plays into the heated and divisive debate about abortion in America.

The judge's ruling comes in spite of Florida state law which specifically does not require a minor to seek parental consent before an abortion.

Its executive director in Florida, Howard Simon, said forcing a 13-year-old to carry on an unwanted pregnancy to term, against her wishes, is not only illegal and unconstitutional, it is cruel.

paradox of logic?
If she is is not mature enough to decide on a medical procedure, how could she be mature enough to make the medical decision to keep it?

Re: Florida courts, abortion rights of 13yo

Quote:

Originally posted by citydogisu
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4500245.stm wrote:

paradox of logic?
If she is is not mature enough to decide on a medical procedure, how could she be mature enough to make the medical decision to keep it?

Because she does not have to keep it. She can give it up for adoption, she can have someone else take care of it and when she's mature, she may be able to decide to "keep" it.

-Rudey
--They should arrest the boyfriend

Re: Re: Florida courts, abortion rights of 13yo

Quote:

Originally posted by Rudey
Because she does not have to keep it. She can give it up for adoption, she can have someone else take care of it and when she's mature, she may be able to decide to "keep" it.

-Rudey
--They should arrest the boyfriend

keep it as in full-term pregnancy- or do they do adoptions and transfer the fetus to a new womb?

I thought once a female becomes pregnant she is considered an adult? Or maybe I misread that somewhere. If she's grown enough to have sex she's grown enough to decide what to do with the baby.

Re: Re: Re: Florida courts, abortion rights of 13yo

Quote:

Originally posted by citydogisu
keep it as in full-term pregnancy- or do they do adoptions and transfer the fetus to a new womb?

Full-term pregnancy.

-Rudey
--But I'm sure you assumed that sonny.

Quote:

Originally posted by TheEpitome1920
If she's grown enough to have sex she's grown enough to decide what to do with the baby.

Since when has being too immature to make the decision to have sex stopped kids from having sex anyway?

All of it is interesting indeed in light of the US Supreme Court's recent decision that the death penalty can't be imposed on someone under 18 because a 17-year-old is too young to understand the implications of his actions when he kills someone. Too young and immature to understand the implications of killing someone but not to young and immature to understand the risks of having sex or to decide what to do about the unwanted pregnancy that results?

Quote:

Originally posted by MysticCat81
Since when has being too immature to make the decision to have sex stopped kids from having sex anyway?

All of it is interesting indeed in light of the US Supreme Court's recent decision that the death penalty can't be imposed on someone under 18 because a 17-year-old is too young to understand the implications of his actions when he kills someone. Too young and immature to understand the implications of killing someone but not to young and immature to understand the risks of having sex or to decide what to do about the unwanted pregnancy that results?

I'm kinda confused. I don't think you have to be mature to have sex. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to stick a penis in a vagina. But there is a certain maturity that is needed to deal with the consequences. I'm pretttty sure that this girl knew that babies come from sex. Just like kids know when they pull triggers that people will seriously, if not fatally, injured.

That was my point exactly. Just because someone is "old enough" to decide to have sex doesn't mean she can make a mature decision on how to deal with the consequences.

Quote:

Originally posted by MysticCat81
That was my point exactly. Just because someone is "old enough" to decide to have sex doesn't mean she can make a mature decision on how to deal with the consequences.

Oh okay! we are >>>>here<<<<:)

I wonder how the abortion laws are written in FL. I know that in my homestate (MI), someone under the age of 18 must either have parental consent or go before a judge to get their consent, if they don't want to inform their parents.

Re: Florida courts, abortion rights of 13yo

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A pregnant 13-year-old girl in Florida has been told she cannot have an abortion because she lacks the maturity to make such a decision.

A state court granted an injunction which prevents the girl from terminating her pregnancy.

She is three months pregnant and had planned to have an abortion on Tuesday of this week.

The American Civil Liberties Union says it will launch an urgent appeal against the ruling.

'Too young to chose'

Florida's department of children and families intervened and took the matter to court, arguing the teenager, who is under the care of the state, is too young and immature to make an informed medical decision. Judge Ronald Alvarez in Palm Beach accepted that argument and has granted a temporary injunction and psychological evaluation, which effectively blocks her from terminating the pregnancy.

It is a case which, once again, plays into the heated and divisive debate about abortion in America.

The judge's ruling comes in spite of Florida state law which specifically does not require a minor to seek parental consent before an abortion.

Its executive director in Florida, Howard Simon, said forcing a 13-year-old to carry on an unwanted pregnancy to term, against her wishes, is not only illegal and unconstitutional, it is cruel.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote:

I think the most salient point of this is "Florida's department of children and families intervened and took the matter to court, arguing the teenager, who is under the care of the state, " She is a ward of the court...making FL operating in the place of her parent.

Of course they are going to deny her right/ability to terminate this pregnancy. Consider their track record on "culture of life" issues..... Pregnancy on a 13 year old body is VERY HARD. Increase in complications, increase in birth defects, delivering a baby is hard work! and her body is still years from being mature.

After the child delivers her child..what then? The state will still be operating as her parent...will they force her to keep it, put it in state care or adoption. Does she even have any say in this at all? Where is her Guardian ad litem...she is definitely a child in need of a court appointed special advocate, cause perhaps the FL dhs is not really as objective as they should be here.

Quote:

Originally posted by TheEpitome1920
I thought once a female becomes pregnant she is considered an adult? Or maybe I misread that somewhere. If she's grown enough to have sex she's grown enough to decide what to do with the baby.

...so if a five year old is 'old enough' to have sex, she is old enough to deal with the consequences?

That is faulty logic if I ever heard it.

Quote:

Originally posted by Coramoor
...so if a five year old is 'old enough' to have sex, she is old enough to deal with the consequences?

That is faulty logic if I ever heard it.

What's faulty is you taking my comment and running waaaaay to left field with it. I'm talking about this 13yr old in particular. Thanks.

Quote:

Originally posted by TheEpitome1920
What's faulty is you taking my comment and running waaaaay to left field with it. I'm talking about this 13yr old in particular. Thanks.

Ha!

Re: Re: Florida courts, abortion rights of 13yo

Quote:

Originally posted by sageofages
I think the most salient point of this is "Florida's department of children and families intervened and took the matter to court, arguing the teenager, who is under the care of the state, " She is a ward of the court...making FL operating in the place of her parent.

Of course they are going to deny her right/ability to terminate this pregnancy. Consider their track record on "culture of life" issues..... Pregnancy on a 13 year old body is VERY HARD. Increase in complications, increase in birth defects, delivering a baby is hard work! and her body is still years from being mature.

After the child delivers her child..what then? The state will still be operating as her parent...will they force her to keep it, put it in state care or adoption. Does she even have any say in this at all? Where is her Guardian ad litem...she is definitely a child in need of a court appointed special advocate, cause perhaps the FL dhs is not really as objective as they should be here.

A> Florida law does not require minors to have parental consent for abortion.
B>

Quote:

The girl, identified only as 'LG', had been due to have her 13-week pregnancy terminated last week, even lining up a social worker to give her a lift to the clinic, but was thwarted in court.

"Why can't I make my own decision? It's my business," she told circuit judge Ronald Alvarez when he granted a temporary injunction while LG undergoes psychological evaluation.

"It would make no sense to have the baby," said LG, who became pregnant after running away from her care home in January. "I'm 13, I'm in a shelter and I can't get a job."

At the heart of her case is a wrangle over whether the wishes of the state, LG's legal guardian since her removal from abusive parents, can trump her constitutional right to choose.

URL
C> The Morality Police of Tallahassee suck balls. I hope twice as many hurricanes hit them this year.