A pregnant Texas 16-year-old has gone to court to avoid having an abortion against her will, according to court documents.The parties are slinging allegations at each other.
Lawyers with the Texas Center for Defense of Life, a pro-life advocacy group, filed a petition on behalf of the teen plaintiff identified only by her initials in Harris County, Texas district court on Feb. 10. A judge granted a temporary restraining order in the case. . .
On a different occasion, the pregnant teen claims her dad told her "he was going to take her to have an abortion and that the decision was his, end of story."Having been an obstreperous teen myself, I can imagine the brouhahas.
The girl claims her parents already removed her phone, kept her from school and took her car as punishment for failing to get an abortion.
We spoke to the teen's father who claims the allegations are false. He says he believes someone is putting his daughter up to this lawsuit and had no further comment about the case.
And maybe another party (Fetus Fetishists R Us?) is encouraging the kid to take these steps.
But in similar ugly stories I've read, parents have claimed that the young woman is mentally or physically challenged or incapable and thus unfit for parenting. No such allegations here.
Here's the thing. Just as no one should be able to force someone to continue an unwanted pregnancy, no one should be able to force someone to terminate a wanted one.
Then there are practicalities. No ethical abortion provider would do it against the teen's will.
And the law is pretty clear too. Not only would a forced abortion constitute assault, Texas has a fetal homicide law.
This one seems to be a slam-dunk and BONUS! The young woman has a whole (perhaps lucrative) career open to her. She could become the Fetus Fetishist Poster Girl for Choice.
In short, we haven't heard the end of this.
