13 year old Florida girl has abortion blocked

BBC reports 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....

She is also too young to be having sex, but that is a separate issue

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.

I am not familiar with Florida law, but most such laws say that if the girl does not want to seek parental consent they can seek consent from the court. Well the court said no.

The American Civil Liberties Union 's 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.

Maybe it will teach her to keep her skirts down and her pants up.

Edward blogged As much as I wish the 13-year-old would chose to have her baby, what's happening here is nightmarish to me.

The nightmare started when a 13 year old got pregnant.

Florida's logic here is that a person too immature to make a decision about their own body is apparently mature enough to bring another person into the world. As a ward of the state, her child would become a ward of the state as well, no? Does that mean Florida would be free to place the child where it wants?

Hopefully they would place it with someone that would raise it properly.

Would the 13-year-old have any say? Is she just a reluctant, state-owned baby-making machine at this point? What if she doesn't take care of her own health (and by extension her fetus's health) the way a pregnant mother should? Will the state prosecute her? On whose account?

The baby's

Dr. Steven Taylor: blogged This is sad on so many levels. It also underscores why I often have a very hard time with the ACLU. Nothing like vehemently being in favor of terminating innocent life.