Florida Court Rules Minors Need Parental Consent for Abortion

A Florida appeals court ruled that the state's law allowing minors to obtain abortions without parental consent via a judicial waiver is unconstitutional, affirming parents' rights under the Fourteenth Amendment and the Florida Constitution. The ruling arose from a case involving a 17-year-old seeking to bypass parental consent, which the court denied, with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier supporting the decision to uphold parental notification and consent. The court cited the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade and a 2024 Florida Supreme Court ruling rejecting a constitutional right to abortion, stating that without such rights, parental due process rights cannot be overridden. The ruling eliminates judicial exceptions that allowed minors to prove maturity or that parental consent was not in their best interest, emphasizing that parents have the right to be informed and involved in abortion decisions. Critics warn the decision may negatively impact vulnerable minors who cannot safely involve their parents and caution about the ruling's potential national implications. The court underscored that parental authority in medical decisions remains paramount unless parents are unfit, reinforcing a shift in abortion jurisprudence in Florida favoring parental rights.