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April 01, 2009
Florida Judge OKs Abortion for 13-Year-Old
In other news from Florida, a judge in West Palm Beach ruled that a 13-year-old girl could have an abortion.
Juvenile Judge Ronald Alvarez 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, which represented the girl.
The state Department of Children & Families had argued that the girl, known only in court papers as L.G., 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. [Emphasis added]
Now, certainly this ruling is wholy absurd, and that aspect certainly deserves some discussion. What I have been wondering is if this girl has been in state custody for 4 years, how on earth did she get pregnant at the age of 13? What does this say about children in state custody?
Posted by Aaron at April 1, 2009 12:00 AM
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As much as I deplore the idea of a 13 year old girl having an abortion (and yes, the fact that she's pregnant is proof of gross negligence on the part of Florida DCFS or whoever) I think the judge was right in this case. To rule otherwise would not have been in accordance with the written law. In florida, a father or mother cannot stop their 13 year old girl from getting an abortion, nor are they even entitled to know she had one performed! So if the parents have no say, then neither can DCFS with the children in their care.
I think this is absolutely horrible, but it is a problem with DCFS for allowing us in this situation to begin with, and with the written legislature of the state which sucks. The court ruling is the only thing about this case that is right.
Posted by MJohnson ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.pardonmyenglish.com//nav-commenters.gif)
at May 3, 2005 04:48 PM
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