Judge tries to block teen from having an abortion because her grades were too low
A Florida circuit judge attempted to block a 17-year-old girl from getting an abortion due to what he said was her poor grades, VICE News reports.
Known as “Jane Doe” in court papers, the girl successfully appealed the judge's ruling this week, with a panel of judges declaring that the teen was mature enough to earn a “judicial bypass" which is a legal process that lets minors get abortions without the consent of their parents.
In his ruling, Hillsborough County Circuit Court Judge Jared E. Smith cited the fact that Doe had originally said she made “B” grades, but her current GPA is 2.0.
“Clearly, a ‘B’ average would not equate to a 2.0 GPA,” Smith wrote, adding that Doe’s “testimony evinces either a lack of intelligence or credibility, either of which weigh against a finding of maturity pursuant to the statute.”
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In regards to the teen's appeal, Judge Darryl Casanueva and Judge Susan Rothstein-Youakim pointed out that if she's is making “Bs,” then her current GPA may not reflect her newer grades.
“...we observe a ‘C’ average demonstrates average intelligence for a high school student,” Casanueva wrote. “The evidence certainly did not show that her overall intelligence was ‘less than average.’”
As VICE News points out, the appeals court ruling also countered other reasons Smith put forward for denying Doe an abortion, such as his claim that Doe's lack of younger siblings is a sign she wouldn't be able to care for a newborn. "Casanueva pointed out that Doe doesn’t have younger siblings. And while Smith said that Doe 'has never had any financial responsibilities, even so much as paying her own cellphone bills,' Casanueva stressed that Doe works upwards of 20 hours a week, has $1,600 in savings and two credit cards, and pays for practically everything but the cellphone bills," VICE's Carter Sherman writes.
Read the full report at VICE News.
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