Florida denies right to abortion to 13 y.o. despite own law

I ran across this article on the BBC News "Florida girl has abortion blocked". According to the article, "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."

Three things disturb me.

1. Is Florida going against its own laws that allow a girl to have an abortion without parental consent? According to the BBC article, the girl is a ward of the State, so it was the State that moved to deny her: "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."

2. Isn't it true that a 13 year old girl could die if she has the baby? Why is Florida making this decision in spite of her wishes? According to an article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via Newsday), the girl said, "'Since you guys are supposedly here for the best interest of me, then wouldn't you all look at that fact that it'd be more dangerous for me to have the baby than to have an abortion?' she asked. Alvarez called that 'a good point.'"

2. I read about this on the BBC News and Newsday/South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and I heard an allusion to it on Air America Radio yesterday. I checked Google News and Yahoo News, and I couldn't find any other articles on it. If Jeb Bush and the Florida State is going against its own parental consent laws to force a girl to have a baby against her wishes, wouldn't we expect more news outlets to cover this?

•  Already diarized

  http://dailykos.com/story/2005/4/30/94228/2212

  You make some good points, might want to consider taking them there.

  by wozzle on Sat Apr 30, 2005 at 07:58:42 AM PDT

  •  Thanks

    I searched on Kos before I posted, but I didn't find anything, something I thought was strange. I recommended that post.

    by sg3000 on Sat Apr 30, 2005 at 08:07:11 AM PDT

•  if this girl had been with parents....

  would the dcf had been able to step in?  I wonder.  remember with the terri schiavo thing that jebby tried to have ms. schiavo placed under the care of dcf so they could force the tube back in.  i think they figure that as dcf they can force anyone to do anything.  perhaps they should have done their job in the first place and been watching a kid in their care!  

  i still can't figure out how this girl got pregnant.  well, i can....  its called no one there cares!  but now they do.  they didn't care enough to protect the girl before.  now miraculously they give a shit!

  by ejpoeta on Sat Apr 30, 2005 at 07:59:56 AM PDT

•  "she lacks the maturity..."

  to make a decision to have an abortion.

  But she's PLENTY mature to incubate and squeeze out a baby, by golly.

  by Maryscott OConnor on Sat Apr 30, 2005 at 08:18:24 AM PDT

  •  The Miami Herald has several op-eds

    on that very subject.

    Best one I saw was a reader who asked if she was under the State's care, how did she get pregnant?

    http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/editorial/letters/11518978.htm

    by Heiuan on Sat Apr 30, 2005 at 08:27:59 AM PDT

•  How did it happen???

  It's called SEX...

  by demstratt on Sat Apr 30, 2005 at 08:46:06 AM PDT

•  the girl is the mature one

  it's the lunatics that don't have the maturity

  by RumsfeldResign on Sat Apr 30, 2005 at 09:00:52 AM PDT

•  Please link to my diary

  this is great stuff and it needs to get out there.

  Thanks.

  by sandblaster on Sat Apr 30, 2005 at 09:18:38 AM PDT

•  she should kill someone

  ... then they would treat her as an adult.

  I did not see any arguments made why she should not have an abortion other than "she is not mature enough to make a decision".  A psychologist testified that she is rational, and a doctor testified that she has higher risk from pregnancy than from an abortion, and the girl proferred very rational arguments.

  It seems that the judge did not dismiss her case but that he covers his posterior by ordering some expert evaluation.

  Iti s also clear from the story that the L.G.'s case worker was helping her (LG = little girl?), e.g. she already visited a clinic with the case worker, and the idea of preventing the abortion had to come from the very top of FL government.    Why does Jeb Bush's government keeps making such stunts?  They had several in Schiavo case.

  by Piotr on Sat Apr 30, 2005 at 10:33:33 AM PDT