How difficult in comparison with this procedure would be to go to another state? Is it a possible/available solution in such cases? Could the judge do anything after issuing a denial if the subject of his/her obtains procedure off the jurisdiction?
Long distance travel is rather difficult as a teenager. No money, perhaps unlicensed to drive, and it’s a complete tossup whether they have a car.
Yes it’s probably easier to get an abortion if they can manage the travel, but it’s a completely unfair burden to place on someone that’s already going through a shitty situation.
But but but, Judges have progressed to the tippity top of the legal profession through fastidious study and inculcation of legal principles and would never behave in a manner that brings the Law into disrepute.
These children obviously had it coming.
I am quite confident all of these anecdotes are isolated examples of unintended consequences.
I recognize your sarcasm, but follow up with a real question.
Being from Canada, where our judges are appointed via a vetting process, please excuse my ignorance. In the US, are judges not mostly chosen by elections or what amounts to a popularity contest rather than actual merit as someone with excellence in the legal field?
One word: Florida
Christ, what assholes. The logic behind all this is just making me hit my head on the desk. It’s some grade-A irony. Too immature for an abortion? So you’ll force the teen to become a mother, instead? Have a bright future ahead of you? We’ll destroy it by forcing you to bear a child against your will. Fuck these judges, fuck this fucked-up process.
Not everyone can afford to visit another state. Hundreds of dollars in gas and lodging costs, days of travelling.
Judges and the asshole politicians who decide what laws judges are supposed to enforce.
“Judges and attorneys tell children that God doesn’t want them to have abortions.”
Is that sworn testimony of God, in this court procedure? If not, can we get God sworn in to provide this? Short of that, anything God tells you is hearsay and not admissible in court.
"These people are interested in one thing, it appears to me, and that is getting this young lady's money…"
This is actually a true statement; the judge is merely ascribing the mercenary aspect to the wrong people. The adoption industry makes billions (that’s a B) of dollars off of women who are unable to get an abortion. It’s particularly heartbreaking when it’s a married woman with several children already, who are present during their mother’s pregnancy only to lose their sibling at the end of it.
It’s very much about money and controlling women…not about saving lives.
This. I grew up in a community of about 500k people where abortion was effectively unavailable unless you could make the 1 hour drive to the next city (in our city all the hospitals had roots in Catholic institutions and wouldn’t provide abortions). I’m sure it’s not a coincidence that dead newborns were found in trashcans in our community at least once every year or two until Planned Parenthood finally managed to open a clinic.
One could argue that if a minor is adult enough to make life-changing decisions about her reproductive process, that she might also be old enough to make other important decisions: alcohol, tobacco, transportation, etc.
If you are mature enough to make an informed decision about abortion, then you probably should also be able to buy beer – no problem for a 14-year-old, right? They are probably responsible enough to drive a car too, or to vote.
I think that the intent of the law is to simply have the kids go to their parents and say “I screwed up, and I need help.” Science has proven with 100% accuracy what causes kids. Any child who gets pregnant has already proven that they probably are not capable of behaving properly (modern birth control, if used properly, has an effectiveness rate in the high 90%).
Obvious troll is obvious.
There are any number of reasons why a minor might be pregnant and want an abortion, including but not limited to rape, birth control failure (yes it happens) and incest. Add in parents who might not be supportive of the minor in trouble, let alone needing an abortion, and you have a recipe for disaster. Although why I am explaining this to someone who probably has heard it already from many sources is questionable.
Plus the fact that early sexual behavior in girls is linked to having been victimized by sexual abuse, almost always at the hands of family members or else close family friends.
Parents are not always the best protectors of their children.
Plenty of adults become pregnant on accident. It happens.
Trouble is, you’d generally need a lawyer in order to go about objecting to bullshit like that. And that gets right back to the heart of the issue, as well as a general problem with our legal system in general. It is unnavigable by laypeople, and even sometimes by lawyers when they find themselves put on the “defendant” seat (And I get that in this case, the women in question likely are not technically “defendents”, but, bear many issues in common, without benefit of the same protections). Having an advocate is having a guide, but, it’s more than that. It’s having someone who’s not emotionally attached to the outcome, or at minimum less so than you are.
With so much riding on the decisions in these matters, it’s abhorrent how often we have minorities and other vulnerable types who are forced to deal with the legal system on these terms. A pregnant teen definitely falls under the heading of vulnerable.
I don’t doubt this is true, but I also doubt that this is the “cause” of teen pregnancy. I think the biggest cause is being curious or just plain horny. Adults have a hard enough time ignoring the very strong desire to fuck. I’m not sure why we expect HORMONAL TEENS to be better at it. Furthermore, adults have problems talking about sex with other adults, let alone kids, so I’m not sure why we expect hormonal teens to be super honest about their sex lives.
