IT DID NOT TAKE LONG FOR A RESPONSE

Yesterday, I mentioned here about the 2-1 decision from the Lakeland-based Second District Court of Appeals overturning the ruling by a Polk County judge to deny an unidentified 17-year old girl a waiver from the new state law requiring parental notification before a minor can terminate her pregnancy.

Today, one area lawmaker decries the appeals court action, and says that the law needs to be fine-tuned to set the bar higher for exemptions and make it more difficult for appeals courts to nix the rulings of a lower court in these cases.

State Representative Dennis Ross (R - Lakeland) told the Lakeland Ledger for a story which ran in today's edition:

"If a minor attempts to receive an exemption, and the judge hearing the case denies it, that should be it...I feel we will have to revisit the law as a legislature and set standards by which an appellate court can overturn a judge's decision in such cases."

Waviers for minors have been rare. The Ledger story notes that since the law took effect June 30, only three girls who have sought abortions at Planned Parenthood's four Southwest and Central Florida clinics have requested parental notification waivers.

FYI: If Ross' name sounds familiar, he was considering a run for Chief Financial Officer to replace current gubernatorial candidate Tom Gallagher, but decided against it when it was discovered he would have to sell off his interest in his law firm.