A panel of the state Court of Appeals has granted a pregnant 17-year-old’s request to have an abortion without telling a parent, on the ground that the juvenile court judge who heard her initial plea didn’t act quickly enough on the case.
The Jan. 18 decision was made under a state law that requires minors seeking an abortion to notify a parent or go to court. The three-judge panel based its decision in the teen’s favor on a provision in the statute that says a juvenile court judge hearing a minor’s request for a waiver must rule on the case within 24 hours of holding a hearing or the request is considered granted. In the case before the court, the juvenile court judge held a hearing on a Friday but waited until the following Monday to deny the teen’s request.
