A pregnant 16 year old Texas girl is suing her parents from allegedly attempting to force her to have an abortion. I wonder how often this kind of thing occurs. I’d bet often. Kudos to ABC for highlighting this story.
ABC News reports:
The Texas Center for Defense of Life filed a lawsuit on the teen’s behalf on Sunday arguing that her parents “are violating her federal constitutional rights to carry her child to term by coercing her to have an abortion with both verbal and physical threats and harassment.”
The teen, identified in the lawsuit only as R.E.K. since she is a minor, was “beside herself” when she called the center for help, her lawyer Stephen Casey told ABCNews.com. The group claims it has previously represented teens in similar situations and won their cases.
“These girls are in a bind, particularly in a situation where their parents are forcing them to do something they don’t want to do,” Casey said. “Regardless of the [situation], that’s her parents and she should expect support from them in this situation, not resentment and anger.”
When the pregnancy was confirmed, the teenager’s father allegedly “became extremely angry, was insistent that R.E.K. was not having the baby, and that the decision was not up to her, according to the lawsuit. He stated he was going to take her to have an abortion and that the decision was his, end of story.”
The teen claims that her parents have taken away her phone, pulled her out of school, forced her to get two jobs and taken away her car in an effort to “make her miserable so that she would give in to the coercion and have the abortion,” the lawsuit said.
Casey said there is evidence of threats, including text messages from the girl’s father. The lawsuit also claims the girl’s mother suggested slipping her an “abortion pill.”
The nine-week pregnant girl said that she and the baby’s father wish to have the child and parent it.
This doesn’t sound like a good situation so if you have a moment say a prayer for this family.
It’s pretty amazing bravery from the 16 year old girl to stand up to her family to protect the life of her unborn child.
February 14, 2013 at 5:53 pm
May God bless this girl. No greater love to lay down ones life for another.
February 14, 2013 at 6:45 pm
There is hope in the world.
To have parents who act like monsters and still act is incredible.
February 14, 2013 at 9:10 pm
Talk about a parenting failure… I could see taking her phone and car away, since she did go and engage in behavior that got her pregnant and all… but trying to force her to kill the kid?
Wrong country, dude.
February 14, 2013 at 10:59 pm
I hope she can find a support system for her pregnancy and after the baby is born. So tragic that someone would view their own grandchild this way.
February 15, 2013 at 4:20 am
Where are all the "pro-choice"-ers in this? Where is the outcry from feminists that someone is trying to take this woman's choices and personal autonomy away from her?
Insert crickets chirping…
I Pray for her and her babe, and I would not wish such an awful situation on anyone. But these kinds of stories are wonderful reasons to hope in the next generation. Having lived their whole lives with abortion as the law of the land, perhaps they do recognize the evil it wrecks.
God bless this woman!
February 15, 2013 at 9:15 am
Good Heavens!
How is this family going to be reconciled in the future? 'That's right, honey, grandma and grandpa wanted you dead'.
February 16, 2013 at 6:05 pm
She probably comes from a relatively affluent family which feels embarrassed regarding this pregnancy. Although I feel for the girls' 'right' to have the baby, perhaps she could consider Adoption because I dont think she will find raising a baby at her age a bed of roses. She and her boyfriend may be living in a fantasy world.
February 16, 2013 at 6:07 pm
She probably comes from a relatively affluent family which feels embarrassed regarding this pregnancy. Although I feel for the girls' 'right' to have the baby, perhaps she could consider Adoption because I dont think she will find raising a baby at her age a bed of roses. She and her boyfriend may be living in a fantasy world.
February 20, 2013 at 3:12 am
UPDATE: BABY WINS http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/02/19/texas-teen-wins-right-to-have-baby-after-suing-parents/