ST. PAUL -- A Ramsey County judge has clarified his ruling in a lawsuit involving Planned Parenthood's decision to allow a 17-year-old girl to have an abortion without notifying her parents. On Oct. 6, Judge David Higgs denied a Planned Parenthood motion to dismiss the lawsuit. He said a Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Paul was civilly liable for performing an abortion on a girl from New Ulm without telling her parents. With a few exceptions, state law requires clinics to tell parents before performing abortions on minors. The parents sued, claiming clinic employees broke the state's parental-notification laws. On Oct. 27, Higgs issued a modified ruling. He removed references to the clinic being liable for damages, leaving that issue to be decided as the case moves along. He didn't back down from his stance against dismissing the case. The girl, a high school senior, traveled to St. Paul and had the abortion in December 2002.
Posted by Editor at November 2, 2005 09:54 AM
