[url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/09/teen-too-immature-abortion_n_4072321.html]should they need parental consent?[/url] [quote]A 16-year-old girl was denied an abortion when the Nebraska Supreme Court upheld a ruling Friday that she was "not sufficiently mature" to make the decision to have one. Nebraska law requires that girls 17 or younger must have written, notarized consent from a parent or guardian in order to have an abortion. In this case, the teenager, identified only as "Anonymous 5," is in foster care, but did not want to involve her foster parents out of fear that they would be so angry about her pregnancy that she could lose her placement at their home, according court documents. A girl can bypass the consent provision in certain cases. Minors do not need parental permission in cases of medical emergencies, if they are victims of abuse, or if they can prove they are mature and well-informed enough to make the decision alone. When she initially went before Judge Peter Bataillon in July, he ruled that she did not provide evidence she was a victim of abuse, and also "failed to establish by clear and convincing evidence that she is sufficiently mature and well informed."[/quote] So... the girl is mature enough to consider the consequences of her situation for herself and her siblings, and she's mature enough to go to court by herself and know the law, but that's not mature enough to decide whether or not to end her pregnancy? I wonder what this judge's idea of someone who's mature enough is.