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Arizona Courts Allow 14-Year-Old Girl to Leave State for Late-Term Abortion in Kansas.


A 14-year-old girl in the custody of Arizona state authorities traveled to Kansas with the approval of the Arizona Supreme Court The Arizona Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Arizona. It consists of a Chief Justice, a Vice Chief Justice, and three Associate Justices. Each Justice is appointed by the Governor of Arizona from a list recommended by a bipartisan commission.  to abort (1) To exit a function or application without saving any data that has been changed.

(2) To stop a transmission.

(programming) abort - To terminate a program or process abnormally and usually suddenly, with or without diagnostic information.
 her 27-week-old unborn baby. Although it hasn't been officially confirmed, it .is presumed that the baby died soon after the girl arrived in Kansas in late August.

The girl, who was not identified by name, has been a ward of the state since she was eight years old and ran away from what she said was a home filled with drugs and abuse, according to according to
prep.
1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.

2. In keeping with: according to instructions.

3.
 the Arizona Republic. Since then she has lived in various foster homes, group homes, and the Durango Juvenile Detention Center A detention center or a detention centre is any location used for detention. Specifically, it can mean:
  • A prison
  • A structure for immigration detention
  • An internment camp or concentration camp
 in Phoe-nix, and has a history of running away, occasionally to return to her mother or other relatives. Her mother was murdered in January 1999 and her father is in prison, the Republic reported.

In May, she told state officials she was pregnant and wanted an abortion, the Republic reported. At that time, her unborn baby was about 14 weeks old. Officials gave permission for the abortion, but the girl ran away again, and didn't return until August.

Since the unborn baby was now over 24 weeks old, and Arizona requires such late-term abortions to be done with a method that would give the baby a chance to survive, her case was taken to a judge to determine if she could leave the state to get the abortion.

Judge William Sargeant of Maricopa County Superior Court ruled that it was in the girl's "best interest that she be permitted to travel to Kansas to be treated by Kansas doctors practicing pursuant to and under the strictures of Kansas law, provided there was no expense to and no expenditure by the state of Arizona," according to a case summary in the state Supreme Court decision.

Kansas law allows late-term abortions for "irreversible and irreparable" physical or mental harm. Notorious abortionist abortionist /abor·tion·ist/ (ah-bor´shun-ist) one who performs abortions.  George Tiller George Tiller (b. 1941)[1] is a physician in Wichita, Kansas in the United States. He is the medical director of an abortion clinic in Wichita, Women's Health Care Services, which specializes in the provision of late-term procedures.  is known for performing late-term abortions at his Women's Health Women's Health Definition

Women's health is the effect of gender on disease and health that encompasses a broad range of biological and psychosocial issues.
 Care Services clinic in Wichita, Kansas
For other uses, see Wichita (disambiguation).


Wichita, also known as the Air Capital of the World, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, as well as a major aircraft manufacturing hub and cultural center.
.

When the story was first made public, Arizona Gov. Jane Hull refused to intervene in the case. "I think we have to let the process move forward," she told the Republic. "What can we do at this point? There's a court order."

After a huge public outcry against Judge Sargeant's ruling and the state's inaction, the Governor's Office asked Sargeant on August 26 to reconsider his ruling, according to the Republic. But the judge reaffirmed his decision the next day.

The state quickly appealed the ruling, and Appeals Court Judge Michael Ryan There are many notable people with the name Michael Ryan:
  • Michael Ryan (athlete), New Zealand long distance runner
  • Michael Ryan (baseball), a baseball player
  • Michael Ryan (ice hockey), American ice hockey player
 issued a temporary stay August 28 until a three-judge panel could hold a hearing on the case, the Republic reported. However, a motion was sent to the state Supreme Court that night, asking the justices to vacate To annul, set aside, or render void; to surrender possession or occupancy.

The term vacate has two common usages in the law. With respect to real property, to vacate the premises means to give up possession of the property and leave the area totally devoid of contents.
 the stay and allow the girl to leave for Kansas immediately.

The girl's attorneys asked for emergency consideration, contending that "unless [she] could travel on August 29, the Kansas procedure would be unavailable," according to the court decision.

The five justices heard oral arguments in a telephone conference call on Sunday morning Sunday Morning may refer to:
  • "Sunday Morning (radio program)", a Canadian radio program formerly aired on CBC Radio One
  • CBS News Sunday Morning, a television news program on CBS in the United States
  • Sunday Morning (TBS TV series)
, August 29. Later that day, with a 3-2 majority, the court restored Sargeant's original decision and allowed the girl to get the abortion.

According to the Republic, the girl quickly flew to Kansas with a "volunteer court-appointed special advocate," where according to various newspaper accounts, she is presumed to have had the abortion at Tiller's clinic.

Police are continuing an investigation to find the baby's father, who could be charged with statutory or forcible rape, since the girl was only 13 when she became pregnant, according to the Republic. The girl refuses to cooperate with the investigation, but her relatives gave police her address book and a letter she wrote to the baby's father, telling him, "I'm pregnant. I mean, I'm really pregnant. You're the only person it could have been." She also asked him for $700 to pay for an abortion, the Republic reported.

The case continues to generate controversy. Gov. Hull has called for a "complete" investigation, including a review of decisions made by the state Child Protective Services child protective services Sociology A state or county agency that addresses issues of child abuse and neglect  agency and a determination about how the case was leaked to the media, according to the Republic. State legislators have also called for committee hearings on the conduct of state agencies.

Pro-lifers mourn the loss of the unborn baby and the 14-year-old girl who was supposed to be in the "care" of Arizona, which has laws designed to protect both their interests.
COPYRIGHT 1999 National Right to Life Committee, Inc.
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 1999 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

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Article Details
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Author:Townsend, Liz
Publication:National Right to Life News
Article Type:Brief Article
Geographic Code:1U8AZ
Date:Sep 14, 1999
Words:749
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