A district court judge previously denied the girl’s request to waive a state law requiring minors to obtain parental consent for an abortion. On Monday, a three-member panel upheld the decision. The unnamed teenager, according to the appeals decision, is getting his GED through a program for young people who have experienced traumatic life events. In her application, the girl — who lives with a relative and has a guardian appointed — argued that she is “still in school” and “not ready to have a baby,” noting that her guardian was “okay with it [she] wants to do.” She met with Escambia County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer J. Frydrychowicz, along with a case worker and a children’s advocate, but “inexplicably” did not request an attorney to represent her for free, the ruling states. “The trial judge expressed concern about the juvenile’s predicament throughout the hearing. asked the minor difficult questions about sensitive personal matters in a compassionate manner,” he continues. “The tone and method of questioning at trial was commendable and her ability to produce a careful written order in an expeditious manner is admirable (she prepared her written order immediately after the hearing, then giving a copy to the juvenile).” Frydrychowicz saw the case “as a very close call,” the ruling says, describing the judge’s impression of the teenager as “reliable” and “open” and that she “has shown, at times, that she is stable and mature enough to the decision”. He says the girl was 10 weeks pregnant at the time, but did not provide a specific timeline of how far along she would be now. She was “knowledgeable” about what was involved in terminating the pregnancy and had done Google searches and read a pamphlet given to her at a medical clinic, the ruling noted. It also says the teenager “recognizes that she is not ready for the emotional, physical or financial responsibility of raising a child” and “has reasonable concerns about her ability to raise a child.” But Frydrychowicz chose to deny the petition — though she did not rule out reconsidering whether the teenager was “in a position, at a later date, to adequately state her request,” according to a partial dissent by Judge Scott Makar. “Reading between the lines, it appears that the court wanted to give the minor, who was under extra stress due to the death of a friend, additional time to express a deeper understanding of the consequences of terminating a pregnancy,” Makar wrote. “This makes sense given that the minor, at least at one point, says she was open to having a child, but later changed her mind after considering her inability to care for a child in her current position in life.” However, Justices Harvey J and Rachel Nordby wrote in the main judgment that the court found the teenager “had not established by clear and convincing evidence that she was mature enough to decide whether to terminate her pregnancy”. Florida statute “permits remand in the trial court with directions for further adjudication, but no such remand is warranted here,” the appeals judges said. “The trial court’s order and findings are neither so vague nor so lacking as to require remand to conduct our review under the statute.” The case was based on the Parental Notification and Consent for Abortion Act of 2020, which makes it a third-degree felony for a doctor to terminate a pregnancy “of an unaccompanied minor without the requisite consent.” “Thanks to Ron DeSandis, Florida is now forcing a teenage girl to give birth against her will,” Florida Democratic Party spokesman Travis Reuter said in an emailed statement. “This is an appalling and dangerous overreach by the Governor, who claims to represent the ‘free state of Florida’ but wants to make women’s health care decisions on their behalf. DeSantis has refused to answer basic questions about abortion restrictions for months, but his extreme bans have already led to serious consequences for Florida women.” According to Human Rights Watch, the majority of young people “voluntarily involve a parent or other trusted adult in their abortion decision, even if the law does not require it. But for those who don’t—often because they fear abuse, straining family relationships, being kicked out of the home, or being forced to continue the pregnancy—laws like Florida’s stand in the way of care.”
