Texas Appeals Court Rules That Dad Can Deny His Teen Contraceptives

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

AU.S. Appeals Court ruled on Tuesday that under Texas law, a father can deny birth control from his teen daughter, but may have also saved Title X services in the process.

The plaintiff, father-of-three Alexander Deanda, claimed that Title X, a program which provides funding for medical care to patients under 18, was violating a Texas law which gives parents the right to consent to their teenagers obtaining contraceptives. According to the complaint, neither Deanda nor his daughters have sought the services at Title X clinic.

The case was brought by Jonathan Mitchell the state’s former solicitor general, who was behind the state’s six week abortion ban.

Federal regulations forbid clinics in the Title X program from notifying the parents or requiring their consent. Similar challenges to Title X have been denied on the grounds that requiring this approval violates a minor’s right to privacy.

The original ruling in this case came from District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump-appointee who notoriously went rogue by halting the FDA approval of mifepristone, and has shared strong anti-abortion and conservative views. In December, he held that “the Title X program violates the constitutional right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/texas-appeals-court-rules-that-dad-can-deny-his-teen-contraceptives/ar-BB1jMmVX

[Hekate]

1. IIRC from my high school years, adoption agencies were kept well-supplied with babies from teen mothers

Banning contraceptives and abortion would surely bring back those days — anyone who has read Dobbs knows that the Radical Six on the SCOTUS specifically mentioned the paucity of adoptable babies in this country since Griswold and Roe. Which they made sure we were to understand is a Really Bad Thing — like teenage girls owed it to society to produce babies they were unable to keep.

[moniss]

2. We have descended a long way

down the rabbit hole regarding Federal Courts allowing cases of a hypothetical to be brought. Essentially allowing standing to be given for any wacko conservative plaintiff wanting to concoct any future matter that might happen while never actually being involved/harmed/affected themselves.

Does anybody really think that they would allow a case of a plaintiff suing a religious group about some future possible misconduct by the group despite the plaintiff not being a member or having any dealing whatsoever with them?

[Lonestarblue]

6. The lack of any harm to a plaintiff was thrown out the window by this MAGA Court.

They have never overturned the Texas abortion law that authorized vigilantes to stalk women they don’t even know they suspect of having an abortion to sue people who help her and get a $10,000 reward. They accepted the fake case of the women who might someday start an internet business and, horror of all horrors, be forced to deal with a gay client. Maybe I can sue some MAGAs because their beliefs and actions in voting for Trump are harming my peace of mind!

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Tell me about it! In 1975:

1. our sex ed teacher (HS FB coach) told us on Day One of class, "Saran Wrap and a rubber band is NOT contraceptives."

2. Same teacher, same class. Our final exam had on it the five most EFFECTIVE forms of birth control and their failure rate.


If I were a parent, I'd want my child to have access to effective and safe birth control rather than have to deal with an abortion. Teens are going to have sex with or without birth control.

[raccoon]

4. Maybe this man wants to be a grandpa. :sarcasm:

[viva la]

5. Can you imagine how awful it is to be his daughter

And forced into this lawsuit by her grandstanding father.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

8. there is hope, two of the three daughters are older than age 18 now. able to get their own birth control

[mackdaddy]

7. The age of consent in Texas is 17.

But they can't decide on their own contraceptive decisions until they are 18.

Well OK then.

[MineralMan]

9. That makes zero sense at all.

Apparently, Dad doesn't worry about his daughter getting pregnant. Most dads worry about that. Maybe he thinks his daughter won't be sexually active if she can't get contraception. That trick has never worked very well.

Maybe Dad is just an idiot and a MAGA Trumper.

[Midnight Writer]

10. But Dad can still kick his daughter out of the house if she gets pregnant, right?

[ripcord]

11. I thought you had to have standing to bring a case?

According to the complaint, neither Deanda nor his daughters have sought the services at Title X clinic.

[Happy Hoosier]

12. Condoms are available OTC....

So hopefully she is not completely without resources.

I have mixed feelings her. Medication Contraceptives are not without risks, and a teenager might not be equipped to decide if the risks are acceptable.

But my guess is that this "Dad" is trying to control her sexual behavior. Stupid. He's likely to get an unwanted teenage pregnancy instead.

I encouraged my daughter to access contraception as soon as she started actively dating. Not because I wanted her to jump in bed with her boyfriends, but because I was a teenager once...