A Florida court has ruled that a pregnant 16-year-old girl is not "sufficiently mature" to decide for herself if she wants to terminate her pregnancy.
The decision occurred in a Florida appeals court after a circuit court judge previously denied the girl's request to waive a state law that requires minors to seek parental consent for abortions. The unnamed teen lives with a relative and a guardian and is reportedly parentless, making it impossible for her to meet the state's rigid requirement.
The girl told the courts that she is "still in school" and "is not ready to have a baby," the Daily Beast reported.
A court filing said the teen "inexplicably" did not request a pro-bono lawyer who would have represented her.
“The trial judge displayed concern for the minor’s predicament throughout the hearing; she asked difficult questions of the minor on sensitive personal matters in a compassionate manner,” the filing says. “The trial judge’s tone and method of questioning were commendable and her ability to produce a thoughtful written order in a rapid fashion is admirable (she prepared her written order immediately after the hearing, handing a copy thereafter to the minor).”
The filing also said that the teen "had not established by clear and convincing evidence that she was sufficiently mature to decide whether to terminate her pregnancy”.
It's unclear how far along the teen is into her pregnancy, but she was 10-weeks pregnant at the time of her initial request to the court.
The filing said the teen “acknowledges she is not ready for the emotional, physical, or financial responsibility of raising a child,” and “has valid concerns about her ability to raise a child”.
Escambia County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer J Frydrychowicz ultimately denied her request, but said she would be open to reconsidering if she were “able, at a later date, to adequately articulate her request”.
According to Judge Scott Makar, the teen said at one point she would be "open to having a child" but that she "later changed her view after considering her inability to care for a child in her current station in life." That discrepancy apparently factored into the judges' determination that the teen did not properly "articulate" her request.
A spokesperson for the Florida Democratic Party slammed Republican Governor Ron DeSantis after learning about the teen's situation.
“Thanks to Ron DeSantis, Florida is now forcing a teenager to give birth against her will,” the spokesperson, Travis Reuther, said in an emailed statement. “That is an appalling and dangerous overreach by the Governor, who claims to represent the ‘free state of Florida,’ but wants to make women’s healthcare decisions for them. DeSantis has refused to answer basic questions about abortion restrictions for months now, but his extreme bans are already leading to Florida women suffering severe consequences.”
