Comment on Florida appeals court blocks minor from abortion without consent of parent or guardian

TALLAHASSEE — A state appeals court Friday upheld a Calhoun County circuit judge’s ruling that blocked a minor from having an abortion without notification and consent of a parent or guardian. The unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal did not detail the circumstances of the case, including the age of the minor, who was identified by the pseudonym Jane Doe. But the panel backed a decision by Circuit Judge Brandon Young, who found the minor “failed to demonstrate sufficient maturity” to receive a waiver of the notification and consent requirement, according to the appeals court. “In a detailed order, the circuit court determined, based on the non-adversarial presentation below, that Doe had not established by clear and convincing evidence that she was sufficiently mature to decide whether to terminate her pregnancy,” Friday’s decision by appeals-court Judges Rachel Nordby, Robert Long and M.