Mon Jan 9, 2012, 11:44 AM

Girl, 14, Sues Family to Stop Abortion

Girl, 14, Sues Family to Stop Abortion

(CN) - A state court in Corpus Christi, Texas, extended an order preventing a 14-year-old girl's family from forcing her to get an abortion.

The girl filed a temporary restraining order against her family on Dec. 21 after they scheduled an appointment for her to get an abortion, according to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.

She is represented by attorneys with the Texas Center for Defense of Life, an Austin-based nonprofit.

Stephen Casey, chief counsel for the group, told the Caller Times that "she has the people she's relied on her whole life pushing her in the direction she doesn't want to go."

...

The Caller-Times reported that three of the girl's family members who attended the hearing last week told the judge they did not have an attorney to represent them. One of her cousins described the teen as mentally unstable and said she was not capable of making the decision to keep her baby, according to the Caller-Times.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/01/09/42861.htm

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184 replies	Author	Time	Post
Girl, 14, Sues Family to Stop Abortion (Original post)	The Straight Story	Jan 2012	OP
That's a tough one	salvorhardin	Jan 2012	#1
I am not sure that a challenged 14 year old is a "woman" I am glad I am not the judge	Vincardog	Jan 2012	#2
Legally she is a minor and has limited rights.	MedicalAdmin	Jan 2012	#18
Let's hope it is not the grandfather to be	Vincardog	Jan 2012	#21
OR anyone over the age of 18 for that matter...	MedicalAdmin	Jan 2012	#56
She could run out the clock	itsrobert	Jan 2012	#107
That's what I thought too.	MedicalAdmin	Jan 2012	#158
Not an angle I would take	joeglow3	Jan 2012	#173
Exactly.	MedicalAdmin	Jan 2012	#178
Agreed.	joeglow3	Jan 2012	#179
Well she can get herself emancipated and go on her own...	snooper2	Jan 2012	#3
I have been told on other topics that a 14 year old cannot be held responsible for their actions.	Snake Alchemist	Jan 2012	#13
I would guess that the vast majority of people who say that...	LanternWaste	Jan 2012	#76
the fact is go to any of the threads about Lawrence King	dsc	Jan 2012	#113
Well, you see,	Charlemagne	Jan 2012	#87
I can see no happy outcome here	Warpy	Jan 2012	#19
That's the road my thoughts were going down	salvorhardin	Jan 2012	#34
I have a cousin who was shoved into a shotgun marriage at 15	Warpy	Jan 2012	#45
If it is "Crisis Pregnancy Centers" they will coddle her	MattBaggins	Jan 2012	#62
And after they traffic the baby	musette_sf	Jan 2012	#105
so do i.	barbtries	Jan 2012	#58
It is a cousin that claims she is mentally unstable. I don't see in the linked article that a	Arkansas Granny	Jan 2012	#112
Is it the same cousin that grabbed her neck, hit her face, threatened to beat her if she aborted?	uppityperson	Jan 2012	#142
I didn't see enough info in the article to know for sure if it was the same cousin or not.	Arkansas Granny	Jan 2012	#155
yup. Had a friend run across some of those foul people.	uppityperson	Jan 2012	#156
As long as her family can legally disown her and any financial obligation to her, let her choose.	Lance_Boyle	Jan 2012	#4
Would you say the same if this was a teen being forced to continue a pregnancy? n/t	FedUpWithIt All	Jan 2012	#14
The same would not apply, because the only burden imposed on the family on that case	Lance_Boyle	Jan 2012	#41
The burden will then likely go to the State. nt	Snake Alchemist	Jan 2012	#15
It ought to go to the 'choose life' group making her case	Lance_Boyle	Jan 2012	#42
This case is going to bring up a lot of issues.	Snake Alchemist	Jan 2012	#46
I think that the issue of custody of a child that is born would be another issue	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#39
Thankfully. our court sysem tells Pontius Pilates to piss off.	MattBaggins	Jan 2012	#63
a child is an "unwanted burden" wow, that's cold blooded	leftyohiolib	Jan 2012	#68
Oh? Says who?	lapislzi	Jan 2012	#82
Some child/women cannot take care of their children nor themselves. It's a tragedy for all.	kiranon	Jan 2012	#120
rationalize away if that makes you feel better but i stand by my statement	leftyohiolib	Jan 2012	#130
fine, take your warm heart and YOU raise all the unwanted children of other people	Scout	Jan 2012	#133
Odd things about unwanted burdens...	LanternWaste	Jan 2012	#77
And sometimes they become abused and neglected.	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#88
Sometimes A, sometimes B...	LanternWaste	Jan 2012	#93
I'm glad it worked out for you.	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#99
Those two sets of laws aren't related	treestar	Jan 2012	#106
"Mentally unstable"	no_hypocrisy	Jan 2012	#5
The issue will indeed come down to competency.	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#9
I'll be the judge here. It's her choice. Okthxbai!	Zalatix	Jan 2012	#11
I agree - and in reality, no one will give her an abortion	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#80
This is the flip side argument I have used against parental notification laws	loyalsister	Jan 2012	#75
And this Republican judge will have to use all the Pro-choice arguments	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#81
What I got from the linked article, it was a cousin who described her as mentally unstable.	Arkansas Granny	Jan 2012	#114
Do you think the lawyers representing her would represent a 14-year-old	joeybee12	Jan 2012	#6
Her lawyers are from a right-to-life group, so no, they would not represent her	Lance_Boyle	Jan 2012	#7
I should have added this...	joeybee12	Jan 2012	#8
It's ridiculous that anti-choicers are being picked to protect a girl's freedom of choice.	Zalatix	Jan 2012	#12
They are anti-choice lawyers with an agenda against abortion, not pro-'choice'	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#17
Well, what can you say? Where are the pro-choicers to have her back?	Zalatix	Jan 2012	#183
Well, and that's another sad part of this-	Raffi Ella	Jan 2012	#26
No, but maybe it would've been nice if the ACLU had gotten there first...	Hippo_Tron	Jan 2012	#168
I support her.	RandySF	Jan 2012	#10
I agree with your statement, but...	Wait Wut	Jan 2012	#22
If bodily harm was the issue, I would agree.	RandySF	Jan 2012	#30
Yeah, I'm just going to ignore the parent's idiotic claims.	Wait Wut	Jan 2012	#53
The judge has assigned an attorney to her	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#89
This message was self-deleted by its author	moriah	Jan 2012	#32
Yes.	Wait Wut	Jan 2012	#51
This message was self-deleted by its author	moriah	Jan 2012	#60
I agree with you on parental consent.	Wait Wut	Jan 2012	#65
Girls must prove competency to get an abortion against their parent's wishes in TX.	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#24
There is also her health to consider - by definition, it's a high risk pregnancy.	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#28
She's 14 and a minor	KansDem	Jan 2012	#31
No, she can't sign contracts, drive, drink, but....	Moonwalk	Jan 2012	#67
Fantastic post n/t	Tsiyu	Jan 2012	#180
Those have been established to be different from reproductive decisions	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#84
ehhh I dont know	Charlemagne	Jan 2012	#90
Supporting the individual's right to choose is not predicated on our own personal opinions...	LanternWaste	Jan 2012	#78
Too many variables to make a decision.	Wait Wut	Jan 2012	#16
Forced abortion is just as disgusting as forced pregnancy.	moriah	Jan 2012	#20
yes,	Raffi Ella	Jan 2012	#29
Agree completely. n/t	FedUpWithIt All	Jan 2012	#50
yes	Charlemagne	Jan 2012	#91
At 14, without family support - she won't be able to parent that baby.	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#159
A choice not to abort is not the same as a choice to parent. And there is the baby daddy.	moriah	Jan 2012	#162
That's how others here seem to be defining 'forced abortion.' Let me clarify:	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#169
And no one is taking the provider to court -- but the parents.	moriah	Jan 2012	#171
I think that we agree on most things - except what is being presented in this discussion.	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#172
my post was #20. ;) It'd been here awhile and you'd been pretty active on the thread after.	moriah	Jan 2012	#177
It's not a hard case at all-	Raffi Ella	Jan 2012	#23
It's interesting to have pro-life attorneys representing	MineralMan	Jan 2012	#27
Neither parent nor judge can force a clinic to perform an abortion on her - no clinic would do that.	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#175
Would you say the same if she was e.g a 9-year-old refusing life-saving cancer surgery?	Donald Ian Rankin	Jan 2012	#122
ok, so...	Raffi Ella	Jan 2012	#136
"Think" as opposed to "am totally certain of".	Donald Ian Rankin	Jan 2012	#138
Frankly,	Raffi Ella	Jan 2012	#141
A 14 year old is not a woman.	Donald Ian Rankin	Jan 2012	#160
I'm not interested in this	Raffi Ella	Jan 2012	#161
Now there's a case that brings a lot of questions to the table.	MineralMan	Jan 2012	#25
I'm not sure that there would be an abortion provider anywhere	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#33
ah! Good point!	Raffi Ella	Jan 2012	#38
It may be all about the publicity - with no substance	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#48
Brilliant evaluation of the situation-	Raffi Ella	Jan 2012	#55
Or	loyalsister	Jan 2012	#79
Yes, apparently that's exactly what they're doing	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#131
I would hope that NO one who supported choice would ever force the decision, ANYWHERE.	moriah	Jan 2012	#52
The point is moot anyway	Charlemagne	Jan 2012	#92
I'm pro choice. Period.	Warren DeMontague	Jan 2012	#35
"Casey said the teen has the right to make the decision herself, no matter what her age." ...	meegbear	Jan 2012	#36
Can the parents force her to go through with this if there are no health issues for the mother?	krispos42	Jan 2012	#37
My little sister, who is mentally challenged, cannot be forced to have her tubes tied.	moriah	Jan 2012	#47
Any minor can have a childbirth procedure without parental consent.	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#49
My former sister-inlaw- 20 years younger is mentally ill	Marrah_G	Jan 2012	#57
Unlikely	fifthoffive	Jan 2012	#61
I would think not	treestar	Jan 2012	#104
It's her call. And btw.. who raped her? The cousin?	LeftinOH	Jan 2012	#40
Seriously. Those were my thoughts also. The cousin who assaulted her, or the one claiming mentally	uppityperson	Jan 2012	#144
My cousin had an abortion at 15 but it was her choice.	Jennicut	Jan 2012	#43
Logically choice has to work both ways	HockeyMom	Jan 2012	#44
I agree completely.	Kdillard	Jan 2012	#163
I respect her right to choose.	Nye Bevan	Jan 2012	#54
What if this were some other medical procedure?	fifthoffive	Jan 2012	#59
I think we worry too much about being ideologically pure	Charlemagne	Jan 2012	#94
Her body her choice. If, after serious counseling and discussion, she	ecstatic	Jan 2012	#64
Not to be contrary, but what if she wanted to smoke/drink?	The Straight Story	Jan 2012	#66
The psychological implications are different	ecstatic	Jan 2012	#70
well there are laws that say she cant smoke or drink, but none against having a baby	leftyohiolib	Jan 2012	#71
Some demarcations are drawn by nature	cthulu2016	Jan 2012	#72
Great answer nt	ecstatic	Jan 2012	#74
Exactly	Charlemagne	Jan 2012	#95
Yes, that's it	Yo_Mama	Jan 2012	#140
Choice is choice. It is not always pretty.	cthulu2016	Jan 2012	#69
Agreed.	moriah	Jan 2012	#73
The reality is that no abortion provider will give her one now.	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#83
Freedom of choice carries the risk of people sometimes making poor choices	slackmaster	Jan 2012	#85
You can't argue out of both sides of your mouth on this one...	ddeclue	Jan 2012	#86
thankyou.	leftyohiolib	Jan 2012	#98
I think it should be up to the parents	Mosby	Jan 2012	#96
When it comes to reproductive rights,	MineralMan	Jan 2012	#97
This message was self-deleted by its author	Mosby	Jan 2012	#100
No, I'm not saying that at all. I'm saying that minors have the right to	MineralMan	Jan 2012	#101
I see the difference	Mosby	Jan 2012	#102
What if she wanted the abortion and parents didn't? What if they were willing to support her&baby	uppityperson	Jan 2012	#145
I wonder how much influence is being put on her	hamsterjill	Jan 2012	#103
No enough information yet	obamanut2012	Jan 2012	#108
I'd like to know about he cousin who assaulted her, cousin who claimed mentally unstable	uppityperson	Jan 2012	#146
Marking this for follow up....	my2sense	Jan 2012	#109
This is a tough one.	Texasgal	Jan 2012	#110
Not seeing whom she got pregnant by	The Straight Story	Jan 2012	#111
If the male was 14, did he break the law, too?	moriah	Jan 2012	#115
I think it is still a legal issue.	Texasgal	Jan 2012	#116
Kinda farked if it's that way.	moriah	Jan 2012	#117
No, it wasn't illegal	Nevernose	Jan 2012	#119
What if it were reversed, she wanted abortion, parents said no? Would you agree they need to make	uppityperson	Jan 2012	#147
What if her parents are alternative medicine nutjobs	Hippo_Tron	Jan 2012	#167
The girl should be able to have choice but then if the parents	marlakay	Jan 2012	#118
It would be an abdication of responsibility to put their daughter in foster care. It would	Liquorice	Jan 2012	#124
Im friends with this gal	Charlemagne	Jan 2012	#125
Wow.	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#127
I will tell you what kind of parent	marlakay	Jan 2012	#137
Foster care is tough to find for teens - let alone a pregnant teen. (nt)	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#129
This 2012. There should be no such thing as a 'forced abortion' n/t	Tx4obama	Jan 2012	#121
There isn't. Coerced, perhaps - but no one will strap you to a table	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#126
And you're playing word games.	moriah	Jan 2012	#164
The ANTI's are the ones playing the word games here - I'm just stating the absurdity of logic.	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#170
Nobody should be forced to get an abortion. I wonder who the	Liquorice	Jan 2012	#123
Statutory rape is seldom prosecuted if the two are of similar age.	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#128
Forcing her to get an abortion would just drive her further into the hands of the anti-choicers.	Odin2005	Jan 2012	#132
They can't force her to have an abortion - no one will perform one	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#134
More information here:	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#135
If you support the right of a 14 year-old to choose an abortion	Yo_Mama	Jan 2012	#139
This seems cut and dry. Unless she is petitioning for emancipation, the family can control their	Suji to Seoul	Jan 2012	#143
reverse the situation. What if she wanted an abortion, parent said no. Is that ok with you, "family	uppityperson	Jan 2012	#149
reverse the situation: Yes, I would say the same thing!	Suji to Seoul	Jan 2012	#150
To clarify, parents should be able to make pregnant minor have the child, deny an abortion.	uppityperson	Jan 2012	#151
If the parents were parents at all, the kid would not be doing it.	Suji to Seoul	Jan 2012	#152
You did read that the cousins grabbed her by her throat, struck and threatened to beat her more...	uppityperson	Jan 2012	#153
Having the sex talk with your kids and making birth control accessible to them does not	Arkansas Granny	Jan 2012	#157
Exactly! She's 14. The family can control her and don't need her permission.	hughee99	Jan 2012	#154
What if the family are a bunch of crazy alternative medicine nutjobs	Hippo_Tron	Jan 2012	#166
Depends on the state	Sgent	Jan 2012	#184
When I was training as an EMT	mrs_p	Jan 2012	#148
We're all about pro-choice, right?	Canuckistanian	Jan 2012	#165
And it will be. The Anti lawyers state that her family can "force her to have an abortion"	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#174
Very informative, thanks	Canuckistanian	Jan 2012	#181
The original story in the newspaper pulls mostly from the "pro-life" lawyer's news release	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#176
The case has been "resolved"	ehrnst	Jan 2012	#182

Response to The Straight Story (Original post)

Mon Jan 9, 2012, 11:49 AM

salvorhardin (9,995 posts)

1. That's a tough one

Last edited Mon Jan 9, 2012, 11:50 AM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

A woman's right to choose, is a woman's right to choose, and if we support choice for other minors, with or without parental notification, then we should also support this young woman's right to carry her baby to term. On the other hand, she's 14 years old, and her parents are going to bear the financial burden of her pregnancy, and possibly raising the kid if she doesn't elect for adoption. And if she actually is mentally unstable, then that's a whole other can of worms. I feel sorry for her and her family.

Girl, 14, Sues Family to Stop Abortion

1. That's a tough one

2. I am not sure that a challenged 14 year old is a "woman" I am glad I am not the judge

18. Legally she is a minor and has limited rights.

21. Let's hope it is not the grandfather to be

56. OR anyone over the age of 18 for that matter...

107. She could run out the clock

158. That's what I thought too.

173. Not an angle I would take

178. Exactly.

179. Agreed.

3. Well she can get herself emancipated and go on her own...

13. I have been told on other topics that a 14 year old cannot be held responsible for their actions.

76. I would guess that the vast majority of people who say that...

113. the fact is go to any of the threads about Lawrence King

87. Well, you see,

19. I can see no happy outcome here

34. That's the road my thoughts were going down

45. I have a cousin who was shoved into a shotgun marriage at 15

62. If it is "Crisis Pregnancy Centers" they will coddle her

105. And after they traffic the baby

58. so do i.

112. It is a cousin that claims she is mentally unstable. I don't see in the linked article that a

142. Is it the same cousin that grabbed her neck, hit her face, threatened to beat her if she aborted?

155. I didn't see enough info in the article to know for sure if it was the same cousin or not.

156. yup. Had a friend run across some of those foul people.

4. As long as her family can legally disown her and any financial obligation to her, let her choose.

14. Would you say the same if this was a teen being forced to continue a pregnancy? n/t

41. The same would not apply, because the only burden imposed on the family on that case

15. The burden will then likely go to the State. nt

42. It *ought* to go to the 'choose life' group making her case

46. This case is going to bring up a lot of issues.

39. I think that the issue of custody of a child that is born would be another issue

63. Thankfully. our court sysem tells Pontius Pilates to piss off.

68. a child is an "unwanted burden" wow, that's cold blooded

82. Oh? Says who?

120. Some child/women cannot take care of their children nor themselves. It's a tragedy for all.

130. rationalize away if that makes you feel better but i stand by my statement

133. fine, take your warm heart and YOU raise all the unwanted children of other people

77. Odd things about unwanted burdens...

88. And sometimes they become abused and neglected.

93. Sometimes A, sometimes B...

99. I'm glad it worked out for you.

106. Those two sets of laws aren't related

5. "Mentally unstable"

9. The issue will indeed come down to competency.

11. I'll be the judge here. It's her choice. Okthxbai!

80. I agree - and in reality, no one will give her an abortion

75. This is the flip side argument I have used against parental notification laws

81. And this Republican judge will have to use all the Pro-choice arguments

114. What I got from the linked article, it was a cousin who described her as mentally unstable.

6. Do you think the lawyers representing her would represent a 14-year-old

7. Her lawyers are from a right-to-life group, so no, they would not represent her

8. I should have added this...

12. It's ridiculous that anti-choicers are being picked to protect a girl's freedom of choice.

17. They are anti-choice lawyers with an agenda against abortion, not pro-'choice'

183. Well, what can you say? Where are the pro-choicers to have her back?

26. Well, and that's another sad part of this-

168. No, but maybe it would've been nice if the ACLU had gotten there first...

10. I support her.

22. I agree with your statement, but...

30. If bodily harm was the issue, I would agree.

53. Yeah, I'm just going to ignore the parent's idiotic claims.

89. The judge has assigned an attorney to her

51. Yes.

65. I agree with you on parental consent.

24. Girls must prove competency to get an abortion against their parent's wishes in TX.

28. There is also her health to consider - by definition, it's a high risk pregnancy.

31. She's 14 and a minor

67. No, she can't sign contracts, drive, drink, but....

180. Fantastic post n/t

84. Those have been established to be different from reproductive decisions

90. ehhh I dont know

78. Supporting the individual's right to choose is not predicated on our own personal opinions...

16. Too many variables to make a decision.

20. Forced abortion is just as disgusting as forced pregnancy.

29. yes,

50. Agree completely. n/t

91. yes

159. At 14, without family support - she won't be able to parent that baby.

42. It ought to go to the 'choose life' group making her case

160. A 14 year old is not a woman.