Seventeen-year-Old Wins Appeal to Get Abortion Without Parental Consent

A teen from Tampa, Florida, has won her appeal to talk to a doctor and get a medical abortion. Her petition in the District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District, will ultimately allow her to speak to a doctor about medical abortion pills and eventually administer the medication should she decide to push through with the abortifacient pill.

Florida law on abortion

According to Florida laws, minors or those below 18 must get parental consent before talking to a doctor regarding medical abortion. As per court records, the girl with the pseudonym "Jane Doe" is a seventeen-year-old junior in high school. Her original petition regarding the waiver of parental consent was dismissed in a final order because Judge Jared Smith thinks that her GPA manifests a lack of intelligence or credibility to equate to maturity in pursuing a huge decision such as getting judicial bypass for medical abortion. Thus, her appeal.

Jane Doe plans on entering the military and going into nursing after. According to the petitioner, she has had three jobs for the past year. During the summer, she was working two of those jobs simultaneously. She said that she lives with her parents and provides housing, food, and pay for her phone bills, although she uses her own money and savings for other necessities.

According to the petitioner, her mother lives out of state, and her father does not believe in abortion. She knows that her parents will ask her to keep the child if they learn of her intention. She does not want to have a child as she is not yet financially stable and wants to be on her own first.

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Lack of access to information on abortion

"Jane Doe" denied being forced or pressured to get a medical abortion. Her boyfriend and his mother also know of her condition, and the latter having a nursing background, also advises the petitioner. She visited a women's health clinic in Tampa when she learned about her condition. However, she will not be granted a procedure, let alone a discussion, if she does not secure a judicial bypass.

She was initially denied her petition because the court said that she possessed "less than average" intelligence after claiming most of her grades were Bs. However, her lawyer Rinky Parwani emphasized in an interview with Fox 13 that any pregnant teenager is already experiencing an emotional burden. The petitioner possesses sufficient mental capacity to know the consequences of her actions for her future.

The District Court of Appeal granted her appeal, stating that the petitioner can assess the risks and consequences of the situation and that she intends to re-evaluate her decision to get a medical abortion after consulting with a physician.

Before the granted appeal, health clinics in Florida would not even discuss with minors the steps and implications of medical abortion without parental consent. Jane Doe wanted to gather enough information on abortion through a physician and re-assess her intentions since she knows that her research is insufficient.

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