A 16-year-old girl in Florida asked the court to waive her abortion rights, but the court denied her are not “mature” enough to have an abortion.
Her teenager, identified only as Jane Doe 22-B, sought approval of an abortion from the Escambia County Court without the written consent of her parent or guardian. Her Circuit Court Judge Jennifer J. Frydrychowicz denied the waiver.
The teenage girl later appealed the decision, but her three judges in the First District Court of Appeal ruled that she should not "terminate the pregnancy or It has ruled that it has not presented "clear and convincing evidence that it is mature enough to determine whether". "
In theJudge's ruling, the teenage girl is about to turn 17, has no parents, but She currently holds a GED and participates in a program that helps “young women who have experienced trauma in their lives by providing educational support and counseling,” court documents say. is written.
Shortly before she attempted to have an abortion, she experienced new trauma due to the death of her friend, the document states. , said she was mature enough to make the decision that she was "not ready to have a baby" and "still in school." She said she had no job and her baby's father could not help her.
A judge in the Court of Appeals dismissed the trial and her teenage petition. determined that there was no prejudice in the decision of
At trial, the Court of Appeals held that the teenage girl was unprepared "to take on the emotional, physical, or financial responsibilities of raising a child" and was "incapable of raising a child."
The appeals court gave the teen "additional time" for the trial court to consider her decision. He said he seems to want to give
"Reading between the lines, the Court of First Instance gave the minor, who had been extra stressed by the death of his friend, additional time to give him a more acute understanding of the consequences of abortion. It seems that he wanted to give.” The judge ruled. "A minor said she was, at least at one point, open to having children, but later changed her mind, considering she was unable to care for them in her current position.
Judge Frydrychowicz noted that a teenage girl who was ten weeks pregnant during the trial had "made her request proper." may return at a later date to explain to the court, and the court may reassess its decision at that time."
A teenage girl said her guardians were "no problem" with the abortion, and the court ruled that her guardians "should be required to consent to the abortion of a minor." All that is required is a written waiver from the parent."
Roe v. Wade, 1973 Supreme Court ruling legalized abortion across the country, but} overruled by . Supreme Court earlier this year. State legislators now have the power to restrict or prohibit abortion within their jurisdiction. But Florida and several other states already had laws restricting abortion prior to this ruling.
In April, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida signed into law a ban on abortion after 15 weeks. This he will come into force in July 2022. Some exceptions may be made, for example, if a pregnant woman decides that two doctors need an abortion to save her life.
In 2020, DeSantis signed the Minor Abortion Act. The law states that physicians cannot perform abortions on minors unless written consent from a parent or guardian is presented.
Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer and the trending stories of CBS News and its news brand, The Uplift.
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