Parent's high court case battle defeat

The mother of two teenager daughters, yesterday lost her legal battle to enshrine a parent's right to know if their child has an abortion. Sue Axon, who was bringing the case as a matter of principle, said she was 'obviously disappointed' by the result.

Mrs Axon herself had an abortion when she was a teenager, which she said caused her 'guilt, shame and depression for many years'. It was made clear that neither of her daughters had sought an abortion - her 17-year old daughter is pregnant - but that she wanted to define her rights as a parent. 'I brought the case to ensure that medical professionals would not carry out an abortion on one of my daughters without first informing me,' she said. 'I could then discuss such a life-changing event with her and provide the support she would need.'

Mr Justice Silber, ruled that forcing a child to tell her parents about advice on contraception or abortion, 'may lead her to make a decision that she later regrets or seek the assistance of an unofficial abortionist.'

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