Good parenting requires being involved in your kid's lives, even if that sometimes means making them do what they don't want to do…but how far is too far? That's the question at the center of the lawsuit a 16-year-old recently filed against her parents after they reportedly tried to force her to have an abortion.
The Houston teenager is suing her mom and dad after claiming that they used verbal and physical threats and punishments (like removing her phone, keeping her from school and taking away her car) in order to push her to have an abortion. Two months into her pregnancy, the teen says she wants to keep her baby and fears what her parents will do to try and make her do what they want. She even alleges that at some point, her grandparents were planning on slipping her the abortion pill!
Meanwhile, her father claims that not only are the allegations false, but also that someone is putting his daughter up to this lawsuit.
So what's the right answer to this impossible situation? The truth is, I don't think that there is one.
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On one hand, I can't even imagine how difficult it must be for those parents to have their 16-year-old daughter come home and tell them she's pregnant. After all, they still think of her as their little girl and now she's having a baby? It's probably heartbreaking…and considering how many teen mom situations go awry, I could see why they don't want her growing up too fast or making a decision only to regret it later.
At the same time, she's SIXTEEN—still a minor, but not exactly a baby. She obviously decided she was old enough have sex. Shouldn't she be in control of her body when it comes to this pregnancy also?
For the sake of the entire family, I hope that her parents can find it in themselves to help their daughter come to a decision instead of forcing her towards one–and also that they give her the support she'll need, no matter what she chooses.
Image via Thinkstock
