(no subject)
Pennsylvania is one of a handful of states that have abhorrant parental consent laws that require pregnant teens to get permission from their parents to have abortions. If they don't want to ask their parents, they have the option to petition a judge. Several months back, one pregnant teen was denied her request to have an abortion because the judge reasoned that if she wasn't mature enough to ask permission from her parents, she sure wasn't mature enough to have an abortion. The minor appealed the decision, but by the time that decision was overturned by the state's Supreme Court, several months had gone by. It's like Catch-22 meets The Handmaid's Tale, but in real life!
According to the Legal Intelligencer, this depressing legal shit-tango began when the Jane Doe found herself three months short of her 18th birthday and 10 weeks pregnant back in March. She told an Allegheny court that she'd been examined by a doctor, that the procedure had been explained to her, and that she understood what it was. She further told the court that she wasn't interested in adoption. In fact, she wasn't interested in discussing the pregnancy with her mother at all, because she was afraid her mother would kick her out of the house.
To the judge, the fact that she was even asking the court permission rather than her parents was indicative of her immaturity and inability to handle the rigorous demands of not being pregnant anymore. He denied her request, because, in his expert uterus-having opinion, abortion was not in the minor's best interest.
Because the case involved a minor, many details are sealed and nonpublic, including whether or not Doe ended up carrying the pregnancy to term. All we know is that according to court documents, she's "no longer pregnant."
I know the source is Jezebel, but still. So on point. At least I could follow the logic behind requiring parental consent for minors to carry a pregnancy to term (NB: I AM NOT ADVOCATING SUCH A THING AND NEVER EVER WILL I FULLY AGREE THAT THAT'S WRONG TOO). But what the fuck? I'm not mature enough to terminate a pregnancy which is why I should shoulder the /bigger/ responsibility? How does one trust me with a child and not with a choice? And yeah, these laws essentially give parents the right to force daughters to carry a pregnancy to term. A few fathers have disagreed with me on my views on parental consent laws and it's pissed me off.
According to the Legal Intelligencer, this depressing legal shit-tango began when the Jane Doe found herself three months short of her 18th birthday and 10 weeks pregnant back in March. She told an Allegheny court that she'd been examined by a doctor, that the procedure had been explained to her, and that she understood what it was. She further told the court that she wasn't interested in adoption. In fact, she wasn't interested in discussing the pregnancy with her mother at all, because she was afraid her mother would kick her out of the house.
To the judge, the fact that she was even asking the court permission rather than her parents was indicative of her immaturity and inability to handle the rigorous demands of not being pregnant anymore. He denied her request, because, in his expert uterus-having opinion, abortion was not in the minor's best interest.
Because the case involved a minor, many details are sealed and nonpublic, including whether or not Doe ended up carrying the pregnancy to term. All we know is that according to court documents, she's "no longer pregnant."
I know the source is Jezebel, but still. So on point. At least I could follow the logic behind requiring parental consent for minors to carry a pregnancy to term (NB: I AM NOT ADVOCATING SUCH A THING AND NEVER EVER WILL I FULLY AGREE THAT THAT'S WRONG TOO). But what the fuck? I'm not mature enough to terminate a pregnancy which is why I should shoulder the /bigger/ responsibility? How does one trust me with a child and not with a choice? And yeah, these laws essentially give parents the right to force daughters to carry a pregnancy to term. A few fathers have disagreed with me on my views on parental consent laws and it's pissed me off.