Texas abortion law shutting down court avenue for teens

By ASTRID GALVAN and LINDSAY WHITEHURST
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — The latest restrictions in Texas that essentially ban abortion past the six-week pregnancy mark have made it nearly impossible for teenagers to get an abortion without parental consent. They can go to a judge to ask for permission if they do not want to ask their parents or if they live in foster care. But the process to go before a judge includes a required sonogram and setting a hearing can take weeks. By then, teenage girls are often past the six-week mark. Out-of-state travel is costly and difficult. And as other states set their own restrictions, those few avenues are getting shut off.