Life Links 12/9/10

An Ohio judge has ruled that Planned Parenthood breached their legal duty when they failed to meet with a teenage girl 24-hours before her abortion. Planned Parenthood also failed to report statutory rape as the girl was only 13-year-old at the time.

Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Jody Luebbers ruled Tuesday that the doctor for Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio breached a legal duty by not having a meeting with the teen 24 hours in advance of the abortion to explain her options, something called an "informed consent" meeting.

"I think it's the first time ever Planned Parenthood has been in breach of that order," Brian Hurley, the attorney representing the teen, said.

"The question now is what (money) damages do we get?"

Not a dime, yet, said Daniel Buckley, the attorney for Planned Parenthood.

The law that required the "informed consent" meeting with the girl, Buckley said, was the subject at the time of a federal court injunction and therefore didn't apply in this case.

But the judge's Tuesday order clearly noted the Ohio law at the time – and not that federal injunction – applied in this case.

According to a Wall Street Journal blog, Hungary may move to ban abortion in their constitution.


Yesterday, Planned Parenthood opened up a second abortion clinic in Omaha, Nebraska.


A hospital in Germany has taken MRI images of a woman giving birth.

The hospital used a specially built "open" MRI scanner — unlike the typical tube-shaped MRI machines — to take images of the baby as it moved through the mother's birth canal to the point where its head emerged. The scanner is also designed so it can monitor the baby's heartbeat throughout the birth....

The hospital says they plan to use the new MRI scanner to try to learn why about 15% of pregnant women need a Caesarian section because the baby does not move properly into the birth canal.