WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 28 (UPI) -- Legal wrangling has begun in Florida over the rights of a pregnant 13-year-old girl in state foster care who wants an abortion.
The girl was scheduled for an abortion Tuesday morning, but the state Department of Children & Families sought and won an emergency stay by a West Palm Beach judge.
The agency said the girl is too immature to decide whether to terminate her 13-week-old pregnancy and the judge ordered a psychological assessment of the teen, the Miami Herald reported Thursday.
"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 DCF spokeswoman. Florida law says that "in no case shall the department consent to a sterilization, abortion or termination of life support" on behalf of a client under department care.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, which are representing the girl, insist Florida law is trumped by a 1989 Florida Supreme Court decision in which citing privacy rights, the court struck down a state law that required the consent of parents before a minor could obtain an abortion.
