A 16 year old Harris County teen, identified simply as R.E.K. has filed a lawsuit against her parents, who she claims are forcing her to have an abortion. The pro-life Texas Center for Defense of Life has provided her with legal assistance.
"We were asking judge to stop them physically forcing her to have an abortion. She is legally protected. They cannot drag her to get an abortion, force an abortion on our client," attorney Stephen Casey said.
The teen claims that her parents, who are separated, are forcing her to have an abortion. She is currently nine weeks pregnant. She alleges her parents have physically, emotionally and verbally abused her and that they have tried coercion to make her have an abortion. Among these allegations are that her mother met with the paternal grandparents in a "bar" and that the mother stated to them she was considering slipping her an "abortion pill" without her knowledge. Other allegations are that her father stated "he was going to take her to have an abortion and that the decision was his, end of story," according to Click2Houston.
Among these allegations the teen accuses her parents of coercion by taking away her car and cell phone, items that they were providing even though it is also reported by Yahoo News that the teen left her mother's home and has been living with her boyfriend's family for the past seven months. The lawsuit claims that the teen will be living with her grandparents, who have agreed to help her care for the baby.
The New York Daily News reports that "The teen’s mother remains deeply opposed to her daughter giving birth because “the two minor parents had no idea what it would do to their lives,” the suit reads.
It's true that under Roe v. Wade a woman has a right to decide whether she wants an abortion and the legal precedent of Bellotti v. Baird has provided a teenager with the right to make her own decisions concerning her reproductive health.
A judge has granted a temporary restraining order and a court date is pending.
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