School overstepping their right...........

[Teresa]

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/88971742.html

SEATTLE -- 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.

The mother, whom KOMO News has chosen to identify only as "Jill," says the clinic kept the information "confidential."

When she signed a consent form, Jill figured it meant her 15 year old could go to the Ballard Teen Health Center located inside the high school for an earache, a sports physical, even birth control, but not for help terminating a pregnancy.

"She took a pregnancy test at school at the teen health center," she said. "Nowhere in this paperwork does it mention abortion or facilitating abortion."

Jill says her daughter, a pro-life advocate, was given a pass, put in a taxi and sent off to have an abortion during school hours all without her family knowing.

"We had no idea this was being facilitated on campus," said Jill. "They just told her that if she concealed it from her family, that it would be free of charge and no financial responsibility."  (emphasis mine)
The Seattle School District says it doesn't run the health clinics at high schools. Swedish Medical Center runs the clinic at Ballard High and protects the students' privacy.

T.J. Cosgrove of the King County Health Department, which administers the school-based programs for the health department, says it's always best if parents are involved in their children's health care, but don't always have a say.

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

But Jill says she not only didn't have a say in her daughter's abortion, but also didn't know about it.

"Makes me feel like my rights were completely stripped away."

Ok... my take on this is rather scattered and mixed..
I do have issues with this... but... what if mom had said no? What if she'd said "you're going to have this kid whether you want to or not"? Who wins, a parent, or the girl who was old enough to make the call to get pregnant, and IMO, by definition, is old enough to make the call over what to do with it. ..AND is the one in the long run who will have to raise it to adult hood.. ( I know all about the argument of  "she should have thought that out before having sex ..)

"Let me note here that this isn't about a liberal or conservative position. I just don't think schools should be providing counseling on these matters.. or the government paying for voluntary abortion.  Still... it's pretty much the girl's choice in this matter...
BUT....................
The daughter is only 15 years old... so that makes the parents responsible for her.  It is their job and their Right to be a part of her life and to make these decisions.

For those of us that have strong feelings about abortion...  on either side of the debate...., this is a major issue.  However, I guarantee that if I had a daughter..and this had happened .. the school would have found themselves in court for denying us our parental Rights!  It is cases like this that either allow laws to stay on the books or to be corrected.

I don't care which side of the fence you sit on when it comes to abortion, we should all be concerned about the State facilitating the deception of parents and limiting their influence in their children's lives.

[Varmit]

Legally speaking the school didn't do anything wrong.  However, every single school employee that took part in this should be fired.

[Diane Amberg]

The state of Washington passed the law, don't know why, but there would be no grounds for a suit that would be winnable.The clinic wasn't run by the school.They just made space available. If the mother was so concerned, she should have gotten more information before she signed the consent form. There is a male involved there too. ..how about suing him and his family? That would sure attract attention! I'm sure neither of the kids ever considered parental rights or got permission to have sex, nor did they consider any of the consequences. Then at the next level, if she'd had the child there would have been a minor with parental rights over an even younger minor? Or do the grandparents have parental rights over the daughter and the grandchild since neither is of age. What about the other set of parents and grandparents? It's enough to make your head spin. Suppose the daughter wanted to have the child but her mother didn't want her to? With parental rights being considered, could she force her to have an abortion? Whew!!! Just lock 'em up until they are 30. Maybe they can sue the taxi driver? These things can really get complicated. Varmit, what would be the grounds for firing any school employee if everything was legal?

[Varmit]

In my opinion, it a moral issue.  They sent a 15 year old girl off to undergo a traumatic expirence, then told her to hide it from her parents. 

[srkruzich]

Sue the school for allowing a non school clinic to operate inside the school, sue the clinic for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and for kidnapping the child. That form sure didn't authorize transportation to a abortion clinic so thats physically removing a minor child from their proper guardians care therefore kidnapping. 
While i am opposed to abortions, this goes far beyond the abortion issue.  It is stripping parents of their absolute right to raise and care of their child without any authorization to strip the parents of their rights.

Good Lord diane what has the boy got to do with it. Sheesh.  He isn't even a part of it now since they aborted her child. 

[srkruzich]

These things can really get complicated. Varmit, what would be the grounds for firing any school employee if everything was legal?

Grounds would be allowing a 3rd party to remove the child from school grounds.  I can guarantee that nothing a parent signs authorizes this move unless it is via a ambulance or going to a emergency room.  And this was no emergency.

[Wilma]

What does the boy have to do with it?  Was this an Immaculate Conception?

[Diane Amberg]

I'll have to reread the article again, but  I thought only the clinic employees had anything to do with this mess. My comments about the boy were because he apparently didn't tell anybody either. Did he not know he was part of a pregnancy? Without the pregnancy there would have been no abortion. Morally the whole thing stinks, but when someone wants to sue, it's all about the law. I don't know how long ago that law in Washington was passed, but surely there must have been a lot of information out about the details.  I can't help thinking there is more to this than that short article stated. Is the taxi driver going to be charged with kidnapping? Did someone from the clinic go with her?

[srkruzich]

I'll have to reread the article again, but  I thought only the clinic employees had anything to do with this mess. My comments about the boy were because he apparently didn't tell anybody either. Did he not know he was part of a pregnancy? Without the pregnancy there would have been no abortion. Morally the whole thing stinks, but when someone wants to sue, it's all about the law. I don't know how long ago that law in Washington was passed, but surely there must have been a lot of information out about the details.  I can't help thinking there is more to this than that short article stated. Is the taxi driver going to be charged with kidnapping? Did someone from the clinic go with her?

The taxi driver could be charged not with kidnapping but being an accessory unfortunately.  I think though that any court would drop charges against him. 

[srkruzich]

What does the boy have to do with it?  Was this an Immaculate Conception?

The boy has nothing to do with any of this now.  Why would he be sued.  He's no longer responsible for the care of her or the child since the baby was killed.