Florida court rules to protect a baby

A 16-year-old girl filed a handwritten petition to get Florida’s requirements for parental notification and consent waived in order to get an abortion. But the court held up a ruling Monday that said she lacked the maturity to make the decision. Two of the three judges on the panel questioned why she needed the waiver if, as she wrote in her petition, her guardian approved. Florida protects babies after 15 weeks of gestation and requires minors to notify and get permission from their parents or guardians in order to get an abortion.

What’s the girl’s situation? The court identified her only as Jane Doe 22-B. Her petition said she lives with a relative and has an appointed guardian. The appeals court said she wrote in her petition that the baby’s father was unable to help her and she was still in school. She filed her petition at 10 weeks, and although the decision can be appealed, she may not have time to do it.

Dig deeper: Listen to Caleb Bailey interview Randy Alcorn on The World and Everything in It podcast about how he would respond to pro-abortion arguments.