Judge doesn't force 13 year old slut to get an abortion

I saw this news article being dicussed today - Judge sentences girl to abort baby.

Now leaving aside the fact that it is a 13 year old we're talking about, one who is in no way even close to being an adult and is not capable of making her own decisions, the headline just screams "Men commit injustice on poor girl!!" The news article is actually completely wrong, but we'll get to that later.

Moving on to the story:

An Italian judge ordered a 13 year old girl from Torino to abort her unborn child because her parents were opposed to the baby.

Italian legislation states that a minor is not allowed to decide whether to abort or not and the 'decision' falls entirely on the guardians or parents.

The shocking story was brought into light by Italian newspaper La Stampa in which the paper reports that the girl didn't want to abort the baby but had to after the ruling. She then had to receive treatment after telling her parents she was going to attempt a suicide.

The girl got pregnant by her 15 year old boyfriend but despite this she still wanted to keep the baby.

However her parents were very angry and demanded an abortion. After the abortion the girl went into a frenzy and threatened she was going to kill herself.

"The unborn baby is still a life and I defend life whatever the situation." Severino Poletto, Archbishop of Torino told the paper.

"Society must take of this child. I certainly oppose abortions but this case allows us to reflect on the situation. We have to take a step back and ask ourselves how this could have happened to a 13 year old girl." added.

Now, Italian law, like the law in most western countries, permits teens to abort - if they don't get permission from their parents, heck even if they are simply afraid of their parents' reactions and don't want to own up to them, they can go to a judge who is forced to approve it after a cursory visit by a state provided psychologist.

So this story is completely bunk, but what's interesting are the comments where I read it - people were horrified a girl could be forced to do anything, let alone be forced to get an abortion when she wanted to birth the baby (at 13 years old - and let's not forget that a childbirth is more risky than an abortion for a healthy adult female). Waving the banner of PRO CHOICE and A WOMAN'S RIGHT and all that, people were incensed.

Also take a look at the last line, the one I bolded - "how this could have happened to a 13 year old slut" - this archfucker is in a real big hurry to shift the blame from the skank to anyone else, nooo she must be a fucking paragon of virtuosity, being a bloody knocked up bitch at the ripe old age of 13. I like how everyone is willing to blame the boyfriend, the parents, anyone except her.

Now, I think that a girl who got herself knocked up even before the age of consent isn't the brightest monkey in the zoo - if her parents are her legal guardians, they should be able to make this decision for her, since the 13 year old has life to live - like it or not, our culture doesn't let women in their most-fertile years make babies because of taboos. She will see her friends living it up, and she wouldn't be able to. Not the best way to raise a child. So I was surprised but happy to see the judge sticking up for the parents, since they would be the ones bearing the cost for a long time.

The real story comes to light in another newspaper, and it turns out that the girl actually wanted the abortion and so did her mum, and they both were afraid of their Dad so they went to the judge to get permission to abort. Of course, this slut used up tons of liras and there's no stopping her - she has apparently been a regular customer of the social services and psychologists and of course, she's a child and a girl, so they pretty much worship her.

Interview with her mom:

Valentina has improved. She is still recovering in the Queen Margherita Neuropsychiatric unit, but is slowly buying back her peace.

Reported by our newspaper and confirmed to the press by medical professionals from the Children's Hospital, the forced abortion story has gradually assumed differing outlines. Parts of this controversy will be revealed to you. Now is the time for the mother to definitively address this sad and difficult story.

"Even though Valentina was always sure that it was the right thing to do," the mother says, "obviously she was more fragile than the typical 13 year old." Not to mention skankier.

How did Valentina react when she found out she was pregnant? "Understandably she was worried. 'I'm scared, mother, I'm a day late' she said to me. When the pregnancy test came back positive, she showed me. 'I can't keep it, mother.' I soothed her by saying 'we will find someone to help us.' Then we went to get advice from Sant' Anna on the right procedure in these cases. They told us that we need to see a doctor." And that they would need the participation of a judge.

"Valentina was terrified to say anything to her father, so the guardianship judge intervened to authorize my daughter's independent decision. The judge summoned us, then spoke for a long time with Valentina about her options should she decide to keep the child. My daughter had no doubts, and the judge gave approval, as provided by law. Beyond that, my daughter has been seen, before and after, by state psychologists at the hospital."

Was that support what you expected? "Yes, always. Social services and psychologists have really taken my daughter's case to heart. She had already had a difficult past, with issues of adolescence and adoption. Problems that were exacerbated after the abortion. But not because she was remorseful or went crazy. She has not responded well to the stress and pain. We decided, and the state services agreed, that she needed admittance to the neuropsychiatric unit of Queen Margherita."

It turns out, however, that before the pregnancy was terminated, Valentina wound up in the care of the Mauriziano (rehab?) after using alcohol and drugs. "Completely unrelated, my daughter was drugged by someone in a dance club. [Yeah, whatever] I was informed the hospital had the capacity to deal with this. The abortion had been scheduled in the near future, two weeks later, but after this crisis my daughter asked us to do it early. The schedules allowed it, and that's what happened."

Aside from Valentina's condition, what is the worst thing at the moment? "I get angry because I do not understand the fact that someone has insinuated that my daughter was forced to have an abortion."

The news circulated insistently in the hospital. "I just want to know which doctor has said such things. Even if now it doesn't really matter."
On the health of Valentina: "Because she can quickly get better, it is necessary that, about her and the controversy, we have silence. From everybody."

Interview with the Family Court:

"Allow me to state that no woman, under-age or of majority, can be forced to abort." Marina Ponzetto, president of the "Family Section" of the civil court of Turin, whose one of ten magistrates, Giuseppe Cocilovo, was the guardianship judge who authorized Valentina to abort at 13 years old, does not hide her worry: "To sow the seed of doubt that an abortion has been forced is to create enormous damage. Every girl must know that she will find someone [in the court] that will
listen and that can help. That's what we're there for, to aid and help girls and punish men," she added with a grimace showing teeth bloodstained from the corpse of the last man to pass through the court.

Has Judge Ponzetto read the provision regarding the case of Valentina? "Yes, and I have found it adequate and justified, perfectly tailored to what is permitted by law. From our point of view, taking into account the dramatics surrounding the case, it was a normal measure, totally in keeping with other decisions made in difficult cases regarding under-age autonomy. Because of this, at first, it was difficult for me to figure out what all the controversy was about."

What does the law require when the demand to abort arises, as has now happened, from a minor accompanied by only one of her parents? "The law considers abortion to be an exceptional measure, not to be used as simple birth control. The decision should not be hurried, and for adult women there is a waiting period of seven days in order to reflect upon their decision before undergoing the procedure. The minor must notify the parents -- notify, not seek permission from -- because father and mother can disagree in principle yet accompany the daughter in her difficult moment."

When and why do the judges intervene? "In the (fortunately rare) cases in which the young person does not want to reveal to the parents her decision, or when there is fighting with the parents, or when both parents have told her no but she still wants to proceed."

Is that the way you worked on this case? "There already was a report from a doctor and psychologist. We insist on having the latter, because we derive delicate cases and want to be certain that nobody has put pressures on the girl. They had talked with the girl alone, as well as with her mother."

What is said to girls like Valentina? "First of all, we listen. It is important for us to know the situation in which the pregnancy occurred, the feelings there. Then we explain all the possibilities: it can be carried to term in a protected environment until birth, the child can be born and given up for adoption, or they can be admitted to a shelter for mothers with children. At the end, if the will has not changed, the judge only authorizes to grant [the girl] autonomy in her decision."

Have you ever denied such authorization? "Sure, yes. And those cases are just as delicate. In 2003, right here in Turin, against an authorization that had not even been denied by the judge but only sent back in order to get more in-depth reports from social services, a tragedy occurred: the young fiance of a girl committed suicide. As you can easily understand, these are not decisions to be made with a light heart."

I'm still pissed that the slut was not lectured or something, let alone have an entire army of people just waiting to get the fetus sucked out of her like a tumor and nobody even once mentioned anything negative. Hell, if you go ask them right now, they'll be all praise for wonderful, brave soul who got pregnant at the ripe old age of 13.