"A federal judge in Kansas has dealt another blow to the crusade by the state’s attorney general, Phill Kline, to restrict abortions under the phony banner of combating child abuse," a New York Times editorial stated Saturday. It described as a "daft idea" Kline’s opinion that doctors, school counselors and other health professionals had to report to authorities most sexual activity by underage teens. The editorial also said that U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten may have established a potentially important constitutional precedent in finding that "adolescents enjoy a limited right of informational privacy in their communications with health care workers." Kline agrees, which is why he says he is likely to appeal.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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10 Comments
“Thomas Marten may have established a potentially important constitutional precedent in finding that “adolescents enjoy a limited right of informational privacy in their communications with health care workers.”
As well they should. The limited part should exclude rape, pregnancy (the father should be held responsible as well, and provide support: nothing like responsibility and $300 a month to curb the juvenile hormones) and social disease. Social disease should be treated WITHOUT any stigma attached. It has to be stopped from spreading the disease, whether it be syphilis, Gonorrhea, or HIV.
But Kline, again, is throwing taxpayer money at what he considers a problem. The problem is it is based on religious beliefs and is total nonsense. When is this moron up for reelection? (I’m in Missouri, remember)
J M Walker, indeed.
As a registered Kansas voter, I don’t want to wait for November. Can we recall the stupid, grandstanding fuck before he has his ass handed to him on a platter that we, the taxpayers, have purchased?
“When is this moron up for reelection?” This very year, JM. He barely won last time by shamelessly pandering to the “base” and making really disgusting, unwarranted personal attacks on his opponent, Chris Biggs.
I imagine his “people” will be pulling out the stops this time, because if they don’t, he’s toast.
The 2002 AG race was quite close because the “silent” opponent in the race only spent about $300,000 to prevent Kline from becoming AG. The “fair and balanced” KS press can’t be bothered with such details, but a few have reported the single $153,000 transaction that was laundered through two PACs to buy numerous last minutes ads to make the result quite close.
The Tiller-Kline rematch will be interesting to watch this year.
http://www.saljournal.com/blogs/?p=601
Wow! Sounds suspiciously like the funding machine that gave us Connie Morris.
Thanks, meadowlark.
I am as much opposed to any kinds of child abuse as anyone. However, I also tend to trust those professionals in the field more than I do a lawyer on a witch-hunt.
If Kline had cast his net over ANYONE dealing with pregnancy then perhaps hr might at least have consistency on his side. However, he did not do that.
Ben Huie,
Using ‘Kline’ and ‘consistency’ in the same paragraph! You big kidder, you!
He seems to be consistently wrong!
Meadowlark is the only klein defender?
I think the technical term for that is f*****, as in:
“if meadowlark is klein’s only defender, he is f*****”.
If chris biggs had bothered to campaign for his job before the last thirty days, he might be the a.g.
NO INCUMBENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just as adolescents and store clerks certainly know the legal age for purchasing alcohol and tobacco they should know there are similar laws in place for minors engaging in sexual activity. The legal age of consent in Kansas is 16. This means that those under 16 can not consent to sexual activity under any circumstances. This makes even consensual sexual relationships with similar-age partners illegal under Kansas’s law. The punishment for violating this law is usually a sentence of probation.In the recent highly publicized “kiss and tell” trial Judge J. Thomas Martin ruled that mandated reporters as to whether under age sex or any other behavior is to have caused injury. In other words adolescents will continue to have the protection of the right to receive confidential health care and counseling services.Teenagers and their parents can find comfort that seeking help for mental or physical health related issues where illegal sexual activity is divulged is by itself not a basis for being reported to the authorities. Parents who discuss these recent legal findings with their teenagers are allowing for the opportunity to build open and trusting rapport with their teens and thus making them less vulnerable to investigation and prosecution by authorities.
Vivion Moore, Mariah Warden, Jan YoungSocial Work Graduate Students