#abortionrights #rondesantis #bansoffourbodies
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida court of appeal this week upheld a decision stating a 16-year-old teen could not get an abortion because she lacked the maturity to make such a decision, even after the parent-less teen said she was not ready to have a child and is still in school.
An opinion released Monday by the Florida 1st District Court of Appeal upheld an earlier
decision by a state court judge. That judge was not convinced the teen had demonstrated the maturity to choose to get an abortion. The teen, identified only as Jane Doe 22-B, has no parents but is in the care of Florida’s child welfare agency and has a guardian. She is about 10 weeks pregnant and currently resides with a relative.
“The minor states that she is sufficiently mature to make the decision, saying she ‘is not ready to have a baby,’ she doesn’t have a job, she is ‘still in school,’” the Monday order states. “And the father is unable to assist her.”
Twisted Florida Ruling Says Pregnant Teen Isn’t ‘Mature’ Enough for Abortion
Florida abortion law requires parents to consent before a minor can have an abortion. But underage teens can also circumvent the consent requirement by asking for a waiver from a state circuit court judge. According to the appeal court’s decision, the teen’s guardian supports the teen’s wish to get an abortion.
Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2020 signed into law a measure that made parental consent for an abortion a requirement for minors. The new law was a win for Republicans who long sought to topple precedent set by the state Supreme Court in 1989 when it rejected a similar parental notification law that was declared a violation of privacy. Voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2004 that led the Legislature to create a parental notification requirement, but it provides for exceptions and the ability for minors to ask the court for waivers.