The inmates are running the asylum

Reuters reports that the 13-year-old girl in Florida, a ward of the state because her birth parents' rights were terminated, will be allowed to abort her baby (oops, sorry, fetus).

The state had initially objected, saying she was not mature enough to make such a choice, and that state law prevents the Department of Children & Families from consenting to sterilization, abortion or termination of life support. It now says it will not appeal a state court ruling allowing the abortion to proceed.

Of course, the story has its share of comments about the Terri Schiavo case, and makes sure to mention that Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is the president's lil' bro (just in case you didn't know that them Bushies are a bunch of right-wing wack jobs).

But here's the money-quote:

"The constitutional right belongs to the child, and it belongs to the child even if the parents object," said Mary Coombs, a family law professor at the University of Miami. "In this case, DCF didn't have any more right than the parents."

Did ya catch that? The "Constitutional Right" to abort the unborn child of a 13-year-old girl belongs to that child even if the parents object. Never mind that under Florida law, the girl was statutorily raped after she ran away from a state-run group home. Never mind that she's not old enough to make any other decision of this magnitude.

The rights of the parents — in this case, the state — and their responsibilities in bringing up this child? They don't matter. It's far more important to keep the ACLU happy.