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A Florida appeals court has upheld a ruling in which a 16-year-old girl, ten weeks pregnant, was not deemed “mature enough” to have an abortion. The case is now provoking anger and debate in the United States.
Minors seeking an abortion in Florida need the consent of at least one of their parents, and the 16-year-old girl, who lives with a relative and has a guardian appointed by the state, said the guardian gave consent to the abortion. However, the approval was not in writing.
In a lower court, the girl said that she was not ready to have children, was still in school and did not have a job, and that the child’s father could not help her. But according to the court, she had “not established with clear and convincing evidence that she is mature enough to make the decision to terminate the pregnancy”.
The verdict, which was upheld by a higher court on Monday, has sparked anger and been criticized by, among other things, American politicians.
“In what world is a 16-year-old too immature to have an abortion, but mature enough to carry and raise a child?” asked Democrat Joyce Beatty, a member of the Ohio House of Representatives on Twitter.
The case fuels the debate about women’s rights in the United States, which gained momentum after the Supreme Court in June overturned “Roe v Wade”, the ruling that guaranteed the right to abortion since 1973, and which meant that power over abortion laws was moved to the states.