Court: Parents can't force teen to terminate

By Brian Fitzpatrick
Published October 30, 2010 at 1:00am

Matt Bowman

The parents of a 16-year-old Texas girl have signed a court order agreeing not to force her to abort her 14-week pregnancy.

Last week, attorneys associated with the Alliance Defense Fund secured a temporary restraining order from a Travis County, Texas, court preventing the parents from ordering their daughter to have an abortion.

"The parents made the right decision, one which they, their daughter, the baby's father and especially their grandchild, will appreciate," said Gregory R. Terra of Georgetown, Texas, an ADF-allied attorney involved in the case, in an ADF news release.

The parents signed the court order Wednesday.

"No one should be allowed to decide that an innocent life – especially one that belongs to someone else – is worthless," added Stephen Casey of Round Rock, Texas, the other ADF-affiliated attorney involved in the case.

Though both the girl and the baby's father want the child, on two separate occasions the girl's parents forced her to go to abortion facilities in the Austin, Texas, area.

Outside one of the abortion facilities, a pro-life activist gave the girl information that steeled her resolve to save the life of her baby.

"The right not to have an abortion is protected by law, and this right isn't relinquished just because someone else considers the child to be an unwanted burden," said ADF Legal Counsel Matt Bowman. "This situation illustrates what a difference it can make when a woman is more fully informed about the true nature of abortion."

A coalition of pro-life organizations joined ADF in intervening on the teen mother's behalf, including the Justice Foundation's Center Against Forced Abortion, Texas Alliance for Life and the Austin Coalition for Life.