[Flipside]

I agree that is stupid, since parents will be held responsible if the child is keeping drugs in her room etc, and in a way it is a parents job to be a nosy bastard

However, this is not something that she can go to a clinic and kick the habit for or the like. And her level of finances has little to do with her wishes as to whether she actually want's to have the baby. If the court considers her body capable of carrying and delivering the baby, then her body must also be capable of terminating it. It seems like one heck of a lifetime punishment for having underage sex.

Edit : Considering she is living in a country where she can choose whether to have the child or not.

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by redmenace
First, parents have legal rights over a child. That doesn't mean that the child doesn't have rights. But if the parents are responsible to take care of the child(feed, clothe, and shelter) why should they not have a say in such situations as this.

That would be dependent upon who the parents - or legal guardians - are/were.  I don't know what the parents' position is; it's not stated in the news story.

Originally posted by redmenace
Second, adoption is an alternative. There are plenty of loving familys that can't have children that would love to adopt a baby.

The/a primary choice is between carrying or not carrying a developing child at what is a very young age; what the mental ability is to carry that child in a responsible way, and the psychological consequences of it (and others responses to it).

AFAIK a 13-year old cannot be a legal guardian of a child; thus the choice is between having the child and having it 'taken away', or aborting it.

Of course, another issue is that it is direct contradiction to an existing law to block the abortion, even temporarily.

[Fineus]

As.. foolish as it seems that she got pregnant I really can't see how they'll be doing any good by forcing her to have this unwanted child. At this stage at least, it's not to late to prevent her from potentially ruining her life at a young age, placing a massive strain on her parents and on her child when it's born. By the time the newborn is 12 she'll be only 25... it'll be an incredibly hard life that is being forced on her.

[achtung]

All I know is that if it had happened in any other state other than Florida there wouldn't have been a word said about it by the courts or the media.  If you ask me it's just like California the state is wanting attention whether it be negative or positve.

[redmenace]

An abortion at 13 can't be any better. And ignoring the rights of the parents isn't either.

[redmenace]

Originally posted by Swantz
All I know is that if it had happened in any other state other than Florida there wouldn't have been a word said about it by the courts or the media.  If you ask me it's just like California the state is wanting attention whether it be negative or positve.

Not true, virginia for instance would probably intervene.

[KappaWing]

Lets hope the ACLU can pull this off. I say, if it's her baby in her body, it's her choice. What if you had something growing inside of you, and you wanted it gone, but some court descision said you are to 'irresponsible' to control something within your own body? Thats just not right IMO.

[Phoenix_Emperor]

That is just retarded. I completely agree with KappaWing

[adwight]

That's why she should give it up for adoption.  Why the hell is a 13 year old girl having sex for anyway?

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by redmenace
An abortion at 13 can't be any better. And ignoring the rights of the parents isn't either.

Can you actually point out what the parents said?  Not only have I not read anything from them, I've not even seen an indication they know or even are capable of judging.

EDIt; alright.  She doesn't have parents per se, or at least not that were legally competent or capable of making such a decision; she was living in a state shelter, from which she had ran away several times (during the last of which she became pregnant).

i believe arrangements for the abortion were made by a social services worker, although the caseworker (any caseworker) does not have the legal ability to provide consent for abortion (or deny it).
(end edit)

If an abortion at 13 proves to be traumatic, or in some way psychologically damaging, at least she has the knowledge that it was her choice.  I think that would count for something in terms of 'recovery' from that.

[Ghostavo]

And delivering a baby at 13 isn't going to be traumatic?

[Hippo]

She could (if feaseable) find a way to a different state, and it might be passed there. Florida's state court doesn't pass outside of florida afterall...

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Hippo
She could (if feaseable) find a way to a different state, and it might be passed there. Florida's state court doesn't pass outside of florida afterall...

Given that under Florida law minors are allowed to have abortions without parental consent, I wouldn't be sure.

[Flipside]

Let's face it, they need taxpayers and soldiers to help clear that national debt

[KappaWing]

Originally posted by aldo_14


Given that under Florida law minors are allowed to have abortions without parental consent, I wouldn't be sure.

That's just wrong. Why is this particular minor an exeption? A jugde's duty is to inforce the law, not go against it.

[Hippo]

yeah really...

EDIT: oops... typed :donut:

[Flipside]

LOL If that is the case, how did it even end up in front of a court in the first place?

[Hippo]

As Shi pointed out on #nodewar, what about Roe vs. Wade? Wasn't that for legalization of abortions?

[Sandwich]

Can someone explain to me why there is demand (couples unable to have children), potential supply (unwanted (??!?) children), and yet no connection between the two on a large scale?

There are plenty of emotional trauma cases from women who, for whatever reasons, decided to have an abortion, and regretted it ever since. They don't want / can't take care of the baby? Fine - there's plenty of loving couples who would love to, and at least the biological mother wouldn't have the emotional trauma of putting one of her offspring to death.

[Kamikaze]

That's because there aren't enough loving couples for all 1.3 million aborted babies a year.