By Dave Andrusko
A Texas teenager, identified only as “R.E.K.” because she is a minor, is suing her parents for allegedly attempting to force her to have an abortion, ABC News reported yesterday.
The parents have 20 days to file a response. While REK’s parents (who have separate addresses) did not respond to ABC News, the teen’s father did tell ABC News’ Houston affiliate KTRK that the allegations are false.
According to ABC News reporter Christina Ng, the lawsuit argues that the parents “are violating the [16-year-old girl’s] federal constitutional rights to carry her child to term by coercing her to have an abortion with both verbal and physical threats and harassment.” Ng writes that
“When the pregnancy was confirmed, the teenager’s father allegedly ‘became extremely angry, was insistent that R.E.K. was not having the baby, and that the decision was not up to her, according to the lawsuit. He stated he was going to take her to have an abortion and that the decision was his, end of story.’”
In addition, the teen further claims that her mother “…invited the paternal grandparents to a bar for further discussion, where she suggested that she might slip [the teen] an abortion pill through deception.”
The lawsuit asks for a declaration “that the teen has a right, under federal constitutional law, to make her own decisions about the baby,” Ng writes. “It also asks for a temporary restraining order from the parents.”
“The girl claims her parents already removed her phone, kept her from school and took her car as punishment for failing to get an abortion,” according to KTRK.
The girl is reportedly nine weeks pregnant.
Please join those who are following me on Twitter at twitter.com/daveha. Please send your comments to daveandrusko@gmail.com