ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla — A pregnant teen seeking an abortion may be forced to give birth as a Florida appeals court ruled she was not "sufficiently mature to decide whether to terminate her pregnancy."
The 16-year-old, who will soon turn 17 and is parentless, previously stated that she is "not ready to have a baby" as she doesn't have a job and is still in school. In addition, she claims the father "is unable to assist her," according to court records.
The teen girl was appealing a decision by Circuit Judge Jennifer Frydrychowicz, court documents say, that blocked the 16-year-old from having an abortion when she was 10 weeks pregnant without the consent of a parent or guardian, according to Florida law. The girl lives with a relative and has an appointed guardian.
However, the three-judge panel made up of Judges Harvey Jay, Rachel Nordby and Scott Makar in Florida's 1st District Court of Appeals mostly sided with Frydrychowicz in that the teen, now 12 weeks pregnant, "had not established by clear and convincing evidence that she was sufficiently mature to decide whether to terminate her pregnancy," the ruling states.
Makar, who noted that he both concurred and dissented in part with the decision, said the teen is "pursuing a GED with involvement in a program designed to assist young women who have experienced trauma." Also adding that the teen had done Google searches and read pamphlets from a medical clinic to gain more knowledge on her "medical options and consequences."
Makar said the teen was both "'credible' and 'open' with the judge, and non-
evasive. Indeed, the minor 'showed, at times, that she is stable and
mature enough to make this decision,'" although the appeal was blocked.
In what seems like an open-ended future for the teen, the document states, "the trial court noted that the minor 'acknowledges she is not ready for the emotional, physical, or financial responsibility of raising a child' and 'has valid concerns about her ability to raise a child.'"
It continues, "the trial judge denied the petition but explicitly left open the availability of further proceedings by saying that the 'Court finds [the minor] may be able, at a later date, to adequately articulate her request, and the Court may re-evaluate its decision at that time.'"
The teen has stated that her "guardian" is fine with whatever decision she makes.
In June 2020, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill that requires a physician to require written consent from a minor's parent or legal guardian before performing an abortion.
