Autumn Katz, the Center’s interim director of litigation, was quoted in recent articles about a Florida court’s decision to deny a pregnant teen’s request to waive the state’s legal guardian consent requirement for abortion. In its opinion, a three-judge panel agreed with a state circuit judge that the teen was not “sufficiently mature to decide whether to terminate her pregnancy.”

“No one, including pregnant minors, should be forced to go ​to court and sacrifice their dignity just to access the critical health care they need,” Katz said. “In order to obtain services without ​parental involvement, Floridians would have to travel thousands of miles to a state like Virginia—a barrier that most young people, many of whom have very limited resources, will not be able to overcome.”

Read the articles:

• CNN: Florida court denies pregnant teen’s request to waive legal guardian consent for abortion, 8.17.22
• WENY: Florida court denies pregnant teen’s request to waive legal guardian consent for abortion, 8.17.22