Mauck
Baker
,LLC
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
Rachel's Story
This week, Mauck & Baker attorneys helped a young minor woman named Rachel* save the life of her unborn child. The right was expressly recognized as "a woman's right to choose life" in a Federal Court decision Mauck & Baker won on behalf of a mobile ultrasound and pregnancy service in August 2013.
On Wed. Jan. 22, the 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Rachel sought help from a pro-life organization in Texas who then connected her with Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal organization promoting religious freedom. ADF immediately relayed the urgent request to Mauck & Baker for assistance to prevent the abortion at a Chicago area clinic the following morning. Mauck & Baker's attorneys Noel Sterett and Amy Parrish took action to prevent the unwanted abortion by filing a federal lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order on Rachel's behalf. A copy of the lawsuit was sent to the abortion clinic along with a statement by the minor saying she did not consent to the abortion.
Amy Parrish intercepted the family at the clinic before the scheduled abortion to present the requested temporary restraining order and explain the rights of Rachel to her parents in order to persuade them to abide by the daughter's decision. At the request of Mauck & Baker, three police officers were also present at the clinic when Parrish presented temporary restraining order pending in court. The minor never entered the clinic, and she returned home with her parents. "I am so proud of Rachel for saving her baby's life and how bravely she asserted her right to choose not to have an abortion," said Parrish. "I pray she will be reconciled with her parents and obtain the support she needs." After the coerced abortion was stopped, the young woman was provided with pregnancy resources and local contacts of support who can further assist her during the continuation of her pregnancy.
This incident is a reminder that regardless of age, the decision to choose life should be respected and valued. Mauck & Baker hopes that the public will recognize that a key facet to maternal health centers on valuing and respecting the rights women have to make sound and informed reproductive health decisions. *The minor's name was changed to preserve confidentiality.
Contact Attorney Amy Parrish at (312) 977-0478 for further information on this case.