Mother furious after in-school clinic sets up teen's abortion.

[blazee]

The mother of a Ballard High School student is fuming after the health center on campus helped facilitate her daughter's abortion during school hours.


Source

[fredjacksonsan]

I'd be pissed too, since as a parent I believe that you should know about your children, at least until 18. But:

Originally Posted by article

"At any age in the state of Washington, an individual can consent to a termination of pregnancy," he said.

If this means to say that the student could have done this on her own without parental knowledge or consent....

Originally Posted by article

Jill says her daughter, a pro-life advocate,...

Apparently she's not as pro life as her mother thought she was. Kinda changes things when you're talking about yourself, doesn't it?

[akboss]

Wow, the comments section on that source site is crazy - still a hot topic for sure. I would have to agree with the sentiments of Fred that parents should be made aware of something so serious, but it appears that the State feels otherwise. But saying what they can and can't do is one thing, making the appropriate family aware of the situation is another. The law could state that you can terminate a pregnancy at any age BUT are they required to have prior consent from a guardian before the procedure? Maybe the mom signing off on the school documents was their unknowing approval.

The idea that this would not be a serious decision scares me. Whatever side of the fence you're on, a decision to have a child or not is not one to be taken lightly, and someone of such young maturity should have a lot of guidance inside and outside her family before making such a decision. I guess you never know what the persons' home situation is like, but being so young, they should be informed.

[thegladhatter]

Regardless of the legality of the actual abortion....this is NOT a school responsibility! The parents have every reason to be furious. Heads SHOULD roll! (but they won't)

[HotZ28]

So now we should all realize, when you send your child to a "government operated" institution for education, they (the government) assumes full parental authority while the child is in their care. Too bad the grandmother (to be) lost a grandchild without even seeing the birth of the child! Who cares, Washing State, apparently not!

[2strokebloke]

Originally Posted by thegladhatter

Regardless of the legality of the actual abortion....this is NOT a school responsibility! The parents have every reason to be furious. Heads SHOULD roll! (but they won't)

Everybody thinks they know what everybody else should do. It's not the mom's abortion, it's the girls.

Though it ISN'T the school's responsibility - the girl obviously felt more comfortable seeking help through the school than through her own mother. There are certain personal matters that parents need to leave to their children, they need to respect that their children are human beings and separate entities from themselves, and not property.

[thegladhatter]

Originally Posted by 2strokebloke

Everybody thinks they know what everybody else should do. It's not the mom's abortion, it's the girls.

Though it ISN'T the school's responsibility - the girl obviously felt more comfortable seeking help through the school than through her own mother. There are certain personal matters that parents need to leave to their children, they need to respect that their children are human beings and separate entities from themselves, and not property.

Excuse me but......isn't the girl still a minor? Yes, she is. THEREFORE the parents are still responsible for her and her well being.....NOT THE SCHOOL NURSE! This is CLEARLY out of bounds for the school!

[2strokebloke]

Originally Posted by 2strokebloke

Then her parents were obviously DOING A BAD JOB. Thank heaven she had somebody to go to in their place. It certainly isn't and shouldn't be the school's responsibility. But if the girl doesn't want her parents to be involved, she has no obligation to get them involved, even if she is a minor.

Where are you coming from with this? Are you saying that teens should be out on their own with no input from their parents? At what age? The concept of a minor to means that until a certain age, parents are to guide their children and be involved in every aspect of their lives, until the child is old enough to be out on their own.

Also, just because a child is pregnant doesn't mean the parent is doing a bad job. It could just be that going to the mall turned into an accidental pregnancy for the teen.

I guess it should go by the laws in the jurisdiction; in the story, it was the law that the school didn't have to tell the parents; but I think that for someone under 18, the parents should be notified.

[03cavPA]

Why is anybody surprised that our society is such a mess?