Reply #87

In the discussion thread: Pregnant Teen Wins Abortion Battle [View all]

Tue Feb 19, 2013, 06:32 PM

87. They have to pay her medical bills, house her, clothe her and feed her

They also are responsible for any legal problems she has.

But you are absolutely correct, that can all be the bare minimum, no frills.

I was simply responding to those who said that these parents shouldn't have to "pay" for this girl since she made her own choice, she should be on her own.

Its not that simple.

I'm guessing the legal agency that fought for the girl will similarly punitively punish the parents if they don't adhere to their legal responsibilities to the girl. They may just drop it now that they've won - most girls don't know exactly what their parents are responsible for (or not responsible) while they are still minors. Most girls get kicked out and the bad blood is so awful they leave without recourse.

It sucks all around. That poor baby! Pretty hostile environment to be born into. Hope the grandparents are willing to stand by this girl and their great grand child. What a mess.

Glad to hear the happy ending for your sister!

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244 replies	Author	Time	Post
Pregnant Teen Wins Abortion Battle [View all]	davidn3600	Feb 2013	OP
(her choice)	annabanana	Feb 2013	#1
Yes, BUT	HockeyMom	Feb 2013	#2
I guess that will have to be	annabanana	Feb 2013	#4
agree, or to pay for the health costs	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#6
Agreed.	TEXASYANKEE	Feb 2013	#10
At 18 she's legally an adult	HockeyMom	Feb 2013	#11
Oh right, like parents are not going to feel that they have to step in and help?	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#14
Then call me guilty	HockeyMom	Feb 2013	#27
I complete agree	Drale	Feb 2013	#61
That's just punishing the grandchild	demwing	Feb 2013	#81
Adoption	HockeyMom	Feb 2013	#85
You didn't tell us you know the people involved. Since you know "THAT is the best choice", I must	uppityperson	Feb 2013	#90
You don't understand why a grandparent would want to have their grandchildren around?	Exultant Democracy	Feb 2013	#145
Hands down best choice	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#161
"You people?" Ouch!!!!!!!! nt	MADem	Feb 2013	#204
That's just punishing the grandchild	AlbertCat	Feb 2013	#96
Yes, correct	demwing	Feb 2013	#156
but that's not what the OP was referring to.	AlbertCat	Feb 2013	#207
My quote was in response to her quote	demwing	Feb 2013	#217
Exactly nt	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#136
Well goody goody for you	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#137
if we're celebrating choice then no one should call you anything	leftyohiolib	Feb 2013	#151
Her parents are legally responsible for her (and her troubles) til she's 18 yrs old	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#53
The parents were not wrong to make the girl	avebury	Feb 2013	#82
They have to pay her medical bills, house her, clothe her and feed her	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#87
I would like to know why the parents of the boy are not legally	avebury	Feb 2013	#94
why the parents of the boy are not legally liable for some of the girl's expenses	AlbertCat	Feb 2013	#97
I'm presuming they are responsible for the other half of medical costs	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#105
I'm going to guess that's why they were only ordered to pay half medical	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#98
You keep making such good points!	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#163
very tho0ughtful response, with which I concur	elehhhhna	Feb 2013	#113
A teenager has no idea	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#139
The girl does not need a cell phone	avebury	Feb 2013	#148
Oh, I was thinking you were saying no phone..	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#154
The parents might be able to get her a cheap cell phone and provide	avebury	Feb 2013	#171
I see the young people of today as so much more irresponsible	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#172
Why rent an apartment? Why not just keep her at home?	MADem	Feb 2013	#206
This message was self-deleted by its author	Horse with no Name	Feb 2013	#106
That's not true from what I've read. Do you have a link?	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#109
This message was self-deleted by its author	Horse with no Name	Feb 2013	#117
Not sure any law requires them to pay for her phone or car. Just her food and lodging and health.	McCamy Taylor	Feb 2013	#122
Oh agreed. They also have to give her clothing. The car thing is weird.	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#123
Exactly -- Unless she becomes emancipated	obamanut2012	Feb 2013	#127
And why I think parents should make the abortion decision	Blue4Texas	Feb 2013	#129
Or you can be 100% trying to help and teach your kids, and they just don't give a damn.	loudsue	Feb 2013	#70
+1. nt	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#78
This child is but sixteen.	MADem	Feb 2013	#203
Yes, it boggles my mind	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#16
I am sick of the glorification of birth married to a complete absence of responsibility.	Sekhmets Daughter	Feb 2013	#35
+1000	smirkymonkey	Feb 2013	#141
agree 100%	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#158
Thanks nt	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#157
+1.	freshwest	Feb 2013	#168
Fifth pregnancy? By the time she's 16?	muriel_volestrangler	Feb 2013	#185
No, I only do sarcasm for Republicans, not real people or DUers.	freshwest	Feb 2013	#196
I think that's the girl's mother who'd had 4 abortions	muriel_volestrangler	Feb 2013	#201
I agree--that would be way past grounds for a visit from Child Protective Services or a	MADem	Feb 2013	#208
Thanks, I'll edit. I was going by a post, not the original article. I defer to the court documents.	freshwest	Feb 2013	#210
Absolutely.	wisteria	Feb 2013	#39
And WHY do her parents have to pay HALF	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#12
She's under 18	leftynyc	Feb 2013	#17
So this group should pay for the whole thing	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#23
Fathers dont get a say either...yet are on the hook financially	davidn3600	Feb 2013	#28
True to a point, but the father had more to do with creating the pregnancy	wisteria	Feb 2013	#43
Well they at least had something to do with it	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#135
So true! n/t	wisteria	Feb 2013	#41
Her parents are legally responsible for her (and her troubles) til she's 18 yrs old	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#51
She doesn't live with them anyway	Marrah_G	Feb 2013	#74
Yes, because they, themselves, should hot have had to commit to any parental	ScreamingMeemie	Feb 2013	#225
I agree but why didn't they get her some birth control	The Flaming Red Head	Feb 2013	#243
Yes, but the parents shouldn't be liable for hospital bills, her transportation etc.	wisteria	Feb 2013	#31
Oh yes her parents are legally responsible for her.	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#55
Excellent points nt	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#142
She is 16	TexasBushwhacker	Feb 2013	#238
Do children really have "my body my choice"?	alp227	Feb 2013	#80
tough question. what if the plaintiff was 12? would DU still be whooping	elehhhhna	Feb 2013	#118
Well, at that point the issue is rape, without the cover of "Romeo and Juliet" laws,	MADem	Feb 2013	#211
We'd defend a 16 year old boy whose parents tried to force him to get a tattoo	muriel_volestrangler	Feb 2013	#186
And who is the judge of when a medical procedure is necessary?	alp227	Feb 2013	#197
A doctor is	muriel_volestrangler	Feb 2013	#199
Looks like no decision is right at all.	alp227	Feb 2013	#202
No, her parents should not get the ultimate decision over her body	muriel_volestrangler	Feb 2013	#205
So if parents can't have the ultimate decision, what's the point of parenthood then?	alp227	Feb 2013	#209
Parenthood doesn't mean complete control of a child	muriel_volestrangler	Feb 2013	#212
Parents force cosmetic procedures on their children all the time without their consent.	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#219
And I oppose them all	muriel_volestrangler	Feb 2013	#221
In the US, Hispanic baby girls very commonly sport pierced ears. Baby Hindu girls with bindis	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#222
Well, pregnancy isn't illegal.	MADem	Feb 2013	#213
thats the truth.	The Flaming Red Head	Feb 2013	#241
and anti abortion people will trumpet this as a win for their side	booley	Feb 2013	#3
Ironic, isn't it, that when....	Jerry442	Feb 2013	#45
They are ProBIRTH	HockeyMom	Feb 2013	#57
I am pleased that she will get to exercise her CHOICE. n/t	CaliforniaPeggy	Feb 2013	#5
based on what? Some pseudo science spewed by pro-life groups?	wordpix	Feb 2013	#101
Agree - really I hope the	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#143
Would you make your 16 year old have an abortion if she didn't want to?	Puzzledtraveller	Feb 2013	#153
yes i would - at 16, she had no idea how to take care of herself, much less a baby	wordpix	Feb 2013	#183
Forcing people to have abortions because of your opinion of their abilities	muriel_volestrangler	Feb 2013	#187
OK, YOU take care of the baby and 16 y.o., then. I don't want to	wordpix	Feb 2013	#228
No forcing anyone to do something like that	The Flaming Red Head	Feb 2013	#242
i dont understand the 'consequences be damned all that matters is she got her choice'	leftyohiolib	Feb 2013	#159
Me too, and I hope she has some real plan for her future	bhikkhu	Feb 2013	#160
Very happy that her right to choose was protected	rox63	Feb 2013	#7
I agree....	kurtzapril4	Feb 2013	#46
Unfortunately when the girl is a minor, the parents are on the hook	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#56
Which is still ironic.	Igel	Feb 2013	#116
Agreed. Its odd that neither the parents nor child pursued emancipation	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#121
Many young people are rabidly anti-choice. Something is not right in the education system. n/t	SylviaD	Feb 2013	#8
I think polls of shown that most young Americans are socially liberal.	iandhr	Feb 2013	#20
This girl is from Texas, so she may be more conservative then most others her age.	alp227	Feb 2013	#84
True	iandhr	Feb 2013	#131
Sounds like she chose just fine.	Dreamer Tatum	Feb 2013	#58
a few things do not add up here - from the original DU post about this case	azurnoir	Feb 2013	#9
Looks like the parents were trying to show her some adult responsibility.	Dont call me Shirley	Feb 2013	#25
Thank you	HockeyMom	Feb 2013	#30
well that is possible but myself I think the whole thing is a steaming pile	azurnoir	Feb 2013	#34
They were paying the phone bill, owned the car and, as her parents, could	Sekhmets Daughter	Feb 2013	#40
they could not withdraw her from school against her will NCLB	azurnoir	Feb 2013	#44
Perhaps the grandparents don't live in the same school district?	Sekhmets Daughter	Feb 2013	#52
that's possible but IMO the antichoicers capitalized on bad blood	azurnoir	Feb 2013	#59
Perhaps....	Sekhmets Daughter	Feb 2013	#65
thatcould well be	azurnoir	Feb 2013	#71
Yep.	Sekhmets Daughter	Feb 2013	#72
Perhaps she is an	KatyMan	Feb 2013	#92
She clearly is not--otherwise, her parents wouldn't be required to pay for her care and car. nt	MADem	Feb 2013	#214
Don't know the background, but what you said is completely possible.	Igel	Feb 2013	#120
WOOOT! A win for us! Pro-Choice wins! This will make a great precendent!	Katashi_itto	Feb 2013	#13
Her body, her choice. The parents couldn't have done that better	SaveAmerica	Feb 2013	#15
Odd though she did not live with her parents	azurnoir	Feb 2013	#22
According to CNN, the girl lives with her mother	muriel_volestrangler	Feb 2013	#188
thanks because we all know CNN is always accurate	azurnoir	Feb 2013	#195
It is her choice. And the grandparents and she should	JDPriestly	Feb 2013	#18
If the father is still in HS	HockeyMom	Feb 2013	#32
The grandparents appear to be supporting this young	JDPriestly	Feb 2013	#177
LOL, and her boyfriends fathers mechanic friend..	snooper2	Feb 2013	#48
If the 16 year old left her parents home, they owe her NO SUPPORT	happyslug	Feb 2013	#162
This seems so topsy turvy..	JDPriestly	Feb 2013	#178
I use to deal with Children and Youth and Child placement.	happyslug	Feb 2013	#223
Per the article, the girl is living with her mom. And the parents have been ordered to $upport her	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#224
A parent's legal liability for the acts of their children is limited	happyslug	Feb 2013	#231
Ok but that's PA, not TX which does require a judge for emancipation	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#232
Illinois your limit is $20,000 plus attorney's fees	happyslug	Feb 2013	#233
As to emancipation, the Illinois Emancipation of Minors Act has the following sentence:	happyslug	Feb 2013	#234
A child cannot simply declare themselves emancipated and voila! Its done	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#236
Look at Section 2, the last sentence of the second paragraph, it reads as follows:	happyslug	Feb 2013	#237
If she want to have the child its her choice.	iandhr	Feb 2013	#19
even for juveniles?	alp227	Feb 2013	#88
All rights.	Igel	Feb 2013	#124
Forced abortions are what happen in dictatorships.	iandhr	Feb 2013	#133
But her PARENTS, not government are forcing the abortion.	alp227	Feb 2013	#200
So would it also be okay for parents to force a girl	Crunchy Frog	Feb 2013	#175
Is it against the law for parents to make such decisions?	alp227	Feb 2013	#198
I agree, but requiring the parents to give her a car?	Xithras	Feb 2013	#21
Quite a message to teenage girls in Texas huh?	azurnoir	Feb 2013	#24
Actually, I thought they agreed to that in some sort of mediation.	NaturalHigh	Feb 2013	#134
Very good	bluestateguy	Feb 2013	#26
Absolutely	VA_Jill	Feb 2013	#38
Choice is one thing, forcing the parents to pay for the choice is another.	wisteria	Feb 2013	#47
It's her body, her life, and her choice	rachel1	Feb 2013	#29
Then she should make the choice to not use the car, the phone or	wisteria	Feb 2013	#36
as I said to my daughter at this age, when you're paying for	wordpix	Feb 2013	#107
The parents should not be responsible for anything-it isn't there choice.	wisteria	Feb 2013	#33
Is she an emancipated minor? I hadn't seen that. Link? Otherwise they are responsible	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#49
I think she is independant of her parents.	wisteria	Feb 2013	#60
Unless she's won a legal emancipation, they are still responsible for her legally	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#63
link she was not living with her parent now or at the time she became pregnant	azurnoir	Feb 2013	#62
Oh I agree. This case sucks but the parents are still legally responsible	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#66
The proof is the fact that she wasn't living with her parents and I'll tell you how I know.	notadmblnd	Feb 2013	#91
Those cops were wrong. The law is clear, you must follow a legal	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#100
I have no opinion to express about the girl or her parents here.	notadmblnd	Feb 2013	#103
Sounds like kind cops who took your side and fudged things.	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#114
It seems an abnormal situation	Yo_Mama	Feb 2013	#130
Choice	VA_Jill	Feb 2013	#37
Absolutley it's about choice.	Jerry442	Feb 2013	#50
Maybe they know their daughter all too well.	wisteria	Feb 2013	#54
This sort of thing makes me glad I don't have kids.	DaveJ	Feb 2013	#64
Yup. I have a wild teen. Unfortunately I'm experienced nt	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#67
The thing is it's the daughter's choice, which means all the responsibilities of that choice	jeff47	Feb 2013	#69
The law makes her parents live with the consequences of that choice	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#76
Which means nothing.	jeff47	Feb 2013	#146
I agree its unfair regardless of the law. And you put your finger right on the heart of the matter	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#218
Is the father in the picture here?	bluestateguy	Feb 2013	#42
His pic is at the link, along with some zombie-like guy.	DollarBillHines	Feb 2013	#73
Best not to judge people by their looks	muriel_volestrangler	Feb 2013	#192
He wants to marry her	muriel_volestrangler	Feb 2013	#190
Forced Support for Grandchildren?	HockeyMom	Feb 2013	#68
If a woman can not support herself and her child(ren), the child(ren) should be fostered out or adop	uppityperson	Feb 2013	#75
My husband's father and uncle	HockeyMom	Feb 2013	#83
I understand this is a minor, but was expanding on what you wrote, trying to clarify.	uppityperson	Feb 2013	#89
This message was self-deleted by its author	Horse with no Name	Feb 2013	#119
Good luck to that teen. I hope if she changes her mind or needs help later she can get help. Choice	uppityperson	Feb 2013	#77
This is the best post I've read on this thread.	tammywammy	Feb 2013	#229
The parents could have (should have?) petitioned to have her declared an "emancipated minor".	marybourg	Feb 2013	#79
The person being "emancipated" has to prove that they can support themselves.	MADem	Feb 2013	#215
Not in most states.	happyslug	Feb 2013	#235
A family I knew about had a pregnant 15 year old. They made her	Ilsa	Feb 2013	#86
1) "Roe" made this her choice. There can be no obligation for her to abort.	OmahaBlueDog	Feb 2013	#93
Good.	krispos42	Feb 2013	#95
so the parents are forced to raise the baby they don't want to raise	wordpix	Feb 2013	#99
why didn't the court mandate any percentage of support from the baby's father??	Blue_Tires	Feb 2013	#102
My question. Where is the dad?	McCamy Taylor	Feb 2013	#115
He wants to marry the young lady, per CNN. nt	MADem	Feb 2013	#216
I saw.	UnseenUndergrad	Feb 2013	#230
This message was self-deleted by its author	Horse with no Name	Feb 2013	#104
apparently you have not experienced dealing with teenage mothers	wordpix	Feb 2013	#111
So...you don't want your taxes to support a single mother and baby.	NaturalHigh	Feb 2013	#138
actually, if I had my CHOICE, every school would begin in middle school to have a class in	wordpix	Feb 2013	#184
I agree with all of that.	NaturalHigh	Feb 2013	#226
The only way this should be done is if the teen is also 'emancipated'.	AzDar	Feb 2013	#108
Thank YOU!	smirkymonkey	Feb 2013	#144
agree nt	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#165
She wins? I don't see any winners here.	Pool Hall Ace	Feb 2013	#110
I wonder what the lawsuit was based on	treestar	Feb 2013	#112
Curious about how the right wing will cover this. Basically, it means that no one can "punish" their	McCamy Taylor	Feb 2013	#125
good points	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#166
It's her life & the baby's life. See how she deals with it.Could go either way.Her body / her choice	judesedit	Feb 2013	#126
Hopefully you're right	christx30	Feb 2013	#244
Now the kid's a saint for saving her unborn baby.. (which is, of course, her choice)	mountain grammy	Feb 2013	#128
Oh yes, I wonder how helpful they will be then.......	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#167
Good	obama2terms	Feb 2013	#132
Anyone who thinks the parents should have the authority to force an abortion...	NaturalHigh	Feb 2013	#140
So hopefully when the court gets	CC	Feb 2013	#147
As I posted somewhere else...	NaturalHigh	Feb 2013	#150
The bus service in Houston is horrible. You have to have a car to get anyplace	Manifestor_of_Light	Feb 2013	#174
What a brave young woman!	Pterodactyl	Feb 2013	#149
I don't see it that way	Tumbulu	Feb 2013	#170
But in two years, she won't be a teen. And her child will have a whole life ahead of her!	Pterodactyl	Feb 2013	#173
being "pro-choice" means defending THIS choice, too.	Ken Burch	Feb 2013	#152
Yes, I am proud to defend both sides of the coin too.	Puzzledtraveller	Feb 2013	#155
I am with you.	etherealtruth	Feb 2013	#180
Agreed. I guess it's true that some people are pro-abortion...	EastKYLiberal	Feb 2013	#182
agreed	La Lioness Priyanka	Feb 2013	#189
There is something wrong here, this was filed February 11 and the parents had 20 days to respond	happyslug	Feb 2013	#164
it's an agreement between the sides	muriel_volestrangler	Feb 2013	#194
Thank you for the additional information. (nt)	Nine	Feb 2013	#227
I agree with those who've said information is missing from this story.	Nine	Feb 2013	#169
The fundies will pick up the tab, wait and see.. I can already see her in her own McMansion and with	secondwind	Feb 2013	#176
Norma McCorvey aka "Jane Roe"	TexasBushwhacker	Feb 2013	#239
My take on this	Notafraidtoo	Feb 2013	#179
At the end of the video report it states that her	avebury	Feb 2013	#181
Very tough choice but in the end it was her choice.	Jennicut	Feb 2013	#240
Something tells me the girl would've lost her legal battle	pink-o	Feb 2013	#191
Here is some more information.	Nine	Feb 2013	#193
The girl's parents deny all of the allegations.	riderinthestorm	Feb 2013	#220

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