Pregnant teen wins lawsuit against parents forcing her into abortion

HOUSTON A pregnant teenager has won a lawsuit against her parents who were trying to force her to get an abortion.

CBS Houston affiliate KRIV-TV reports the 16-year-old Texan girl, known as R.E.K., accused her parents Jeffrey and Denise Coen of trying to coerce her into aborting the fetus.

The girl alleged her mother wanted to slip her an abortion pill, took her phone and car and kept her home from school to punish her for not agreeing to an abortion. The girl said her father threatened her with an 'a** whoopin'.

The lawsuit added that the parents told their daughter she could ''continue to live in misery'' in their home or she could ''have the abortion and tell everyone it was a miscarriage.''

CBS Houston reported that Mr and Mrs Coen will have to help pay for their daughter's health insurance, cellphone and give consent for her to marry the baby's father. The legal age to marry in Texas is 16 with parental consent.

The girl was represented by lawyers from the Texas Center for the Defense of life. President Greg Terra said in a press release that they are "extremely happy" with the Harris County judge's decision to grant a long-term injunction in the case.

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[kimbo2--2008]

This is what freedom of choice is all about. It is the women's choice not her father's, her priest's, the State's, husband's or lover's. This is what we fight to protect. Her choice!! Who's choice? Her Choice!!

[whatkindaworldisthis]

I have watched this case in the news and on the internet. I have studied the comments both for and against. I consider myself pro-life, but I feel I nor does any government have the right to dictate what a woman does with or to her own body. I also feel that abortion is not a means of birth control. With that being said let me run down a few things.
First, when this story first broke on the news, most posted a link to the TCDL website that had the full law suit they had made public, now removed. On the very last page of the document was the girl's full name and signature. How did this protect the girl's identity? Second, the document had the girl's father and mother full name listed. Again how were they protecting the girl's identity? No. They wanted the publicity so the girl's interests be damned to push their agenda.
Second, in most states and I would believe in Texas, a Guardian ad Litem must be appointed to protect the minors' interests. This Guardian ad Litem would have signed for the minor in the law suit. Did this happen? Apparently not.
Third, the document posted to their website painted the parents of the girl as the world's worst parents and made many accusations. Are they true? Maybe, maybe not. It would seem that this was a multi front attack in order to spread the smoke and mirrors. How does anyone start to try and defend yourself, and try to deal with your daughter's teen pregnancy? You can't. So you destroy the lives of two maybe three or four to save one. I guess that would be called "Collateral Damage".
These attorneys, in what it would appear to be an overzealous attempt to gain publicity, sacrificed this entire family to the gods of breaking news. At the very least the Texas Bar Association needs to look at how these attorneys handled this case. As this is a good ole boy network, I doubt if this will happen.
Now with a settlement that is also posted to the TCDL website. It lists not only both the girls' parents' names, but the boys' parents' names. The one glaring fact that I noticed was a different last name for the mother and now that the boy has been on TV several times, his. As I have not seen anything on his parents played in the news. I wonder how they would hold up to the media microscope if it was pointed at them. As they were the supportive ones none of that matters, right?
Now, I have seen that that these kids have married. Now what? It would seem that the settlement is null and void. This clears his parents and hers of any financial obligations for this pregnancy. And as the supportive ones, his parents will step up and pay for all of the bills associated with this pregnancy. The sky is green and the grass is blue, and that will happen. What I see is these two on welfare with the state of Texas paying the bills. It seems that the boys' parents, in complete support of this pregnancy have driven a wedge between the girl and her parents, so why would they pay with their daughter dragging them through the mud to get her way?
All I can see coming out of this is a baby and a string of Jerry Springer, Morey and let's not forget, Teen Mom. I will be willing to bet that some of this is already in the works.

[Mr_Mxyzptlk]

Well, she just lost a place to stay...

[rwsmith29456]

I'm pro choice too. But this girls parents are going to have to accept, work and pay for her bratty mistake. It's darn easy to HAVE a baby. Keeping it and taking care of it is something different.

[Aussie_convict]

I keep thinking of that line from Van Wilder
" It was the best 10 seconds ever, THE BEST "

[linfinster]

I don't see how a mandate to pay for her cell phone was included as part of her "rights."

[livingtxlife]

I remember a reality TV show where the girl's mother wouldn't let the hospital give her any drugs while giving birth as a lesson to not get herself into this predicament again.

[Aussie_convict]

Kids having kids. Best of luck to the baby.

The definition of black irony is Pro-lifers killing Doctors who do abortions - Bill Hicks

[fred8780]

I don't think that there is a "happy ever after" solution to this one: it sounds like the parents and the teenager were probably in conflict before the pregnancy. Maybe the pregnancy resulted partly from rebellion. Regardless, the parents could have responded with a lot more compassion and understanding. I hope that some type of working parent-daughter-grandchild relationship can still be worked out but I wouldn't hold my breath.

[MichaelSurf]

As a parent I would do the same exact thing...do all I can convince my daughter or son of that age to abort the child. It is utterly ridiculous to have a child at 16. Either you a responsible for a child until they are 18 or you aren't. What I find hilarious is that all of a sudden the pro lifer wackos are suddenly ok with a kid making this decision alone, but are also up in arms when they want to get contraception without a parents permission. So basically what they are saying is we want kids to have babies.

But I will tell you one thing..if my kid stupidly got pregnant, and then doubly stupid decided to have the baby...she would not get a dime from me. You don't get a reward for bad decisions.

[linfinster]

Your family must be sooo proud of you! Glad you are not related to me! Ick. .. and no, I didn't have a baby until I was 25 ..

[Raelene1027]

Its funny to me how people are arguing with each other here. Nobody knows them personally, therefore have no right to think their opinion is the best one. I dont agree or disagree, but I personally know that many dumb 16 year olds that get pregnant end up 23 with three kids, different fathers, no job, and no money. In which case the whole family struggles to make it better. You cant say that these parents do not know whats best for their child. I know one 16 year old that got pregnant and became a family with the father. Not very good odds here

[superdem1]

Only in Texas would parents trying to preserve their daughter's life options be presented as monsters. This girl obviously doesn't have a clue what she's doing, or how to have sex in a responsible way, any idiot can get pregnant, that is NO accomplishment. She'll be lucky to get the guy to marry her. What a mess. And the Right to Lifers are all proud of themselves. Of course, there is no PLANNED PARENTHOOD in Texas. What a shameful state. Ignorance prevails.

[linfinster]

What a shameful response. Ignorance DOES prevail!

[you_MAY_be_right]

Yes, your ignorance prevails.

How do you knoew the girl didn't know what she was doing? Maybe she intended to get pregnant.

Yes there is still Planned Parenthood in Texas, Rick Perry hasn't gotten rid of it yet.

And exactly what, if anything, do you know about this girl's parents? It could be her nother is a crackhead and her father the local town drunk. They could be raising her in the Fifth Ward and she has the opportunity to move on up to Rover Oaks.

You KNOW NOTHING lib.