Live blogging 4802

RE: Wisconsin: Rachel Maddow had an excellent piece on this last night which you can view here.

USDA & Genetically Engineered Food: Right on! We should know what we're eating.

Philly Abortion Clinic: Acting like that place in Philly was an actual "clinic" is like comparing a crack house to a Rite Aid.

The teenager and the parental bypass: Nope! Sorry! That's not what I said. Her lawyers were aware that the judge had support from the anti choice groups. I believe we may have been the first to publish that the judge was endorsed by anti choice groups. I don't and never have claimed to be the first/only person to discover this -- only that when I did find it with a simple Google search, that I put it out there.

Also: Hmm, four guys sitting around discussing two abortion stories and a story on a female reporter who was sexually assaulted -- I would have liked to have heard at least one woman's opinions on these issues...

Allegheny County PA judge rules minor too immature to choose an abortion, but not too immature to have a baby

Via The Morning Call:

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will consider the role judges play in deciding when a minor can have an abortion.

In the case, In re Jane Doe, a minor girl asked an Allegheny County judge for permission to have an abortion after she was unable to obtain consent from one of her parents, as required by the state Abortion Control Act. The judge denied her request and the girl appealed, but lost again.

Now the girl's lawyers have asked the state Supreme Court if a lower court should have done more. They argue the appeals court should have reached its own conclusions on the girl's maturity and ability to consent to such a procedure, rather than simply review the county judge's legal process.

[snip]

Jennifer Boulanger, executive director of the Allentown Women's Center, which counsels women seeking abortions, said she has never seen a judge deny a minor's permission to seek an abortion.

Please explain to me how someone -- anyone -- can be too immature to want to seek an abortion but mature enough to have a child? How can someone be mature enough to face the medical, emotional and financial consequences (even if they decide to give the baby up) of carrying a pregnancy to term and delivery, but can't be allowed to decide to chose to end the pregnancy? In fact, for all the judge knows, if forced to deliver, the minor may decide to keep the baby in which case the judge believes that someone can be mature enough to actually raise a child but immature enough to not be pregnant. HUH?

I have heard that Phil Ignelzi is the judge in question in this case.

Interesting that while Ignelzi was fairly vague to the League of Women Voters and the Steel City Stonewall Democrats while running for election (because, you know, it would be "inappropriate and unfair" to get too specific), the group People Concerned for the Unborn Child determined that he was anti choice and endorsed him -- in fact, he was the only candidate who they endorsed for that seat (out of a total of five who they could have endorsed):


A guess a little birdie told them. Funny how that always seems to happen when it comes to anti choice candidates . . .
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