MIAMI, April 28, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Department of Children & Families (DCF) in Palm Beach County, Florida, is asking a judge to block the request of a 13 year-old girl in their care to have an abortion. The girl’s lawyers are arguing that under state law, a minor has the right to decide for herself if she will abort her child. The girl, who cannot be named except for her initials, “L.G.,” is in the custody of the DCF who claim that at thirteen she does not have the maturity to decide.
On Thursday, Judge Ronald Alvarez, ordered a temporary stay on the abortion and has ordered psychological evaluation for the girl. Her lawyers have appealed the stay.
“The Department of Children & Families is acting in accordance with what we believe is in the best interest of the child,” said Zoraya Suarez, a spokesman for the DCF. “If a child in our care requires any procedure that is prohibited by Florida statute, we cannot consent to that procedure.”
In 1989, the Florida Supreme Court struck down on privacy grounds, a statute that required parents to be informed when a minor wanted an abortion.
With files from Miami Herald.