Last Friday, the Boston Herald reported on Rep. Jim Lyons’ (R-Andover) efforts to get answers from the Department of Mental Health (DMH) after the agency backed in court the parents of a mentally ill woman who sought the right to force her to have an abortion, a decision that was overturned on appeal.
“Any time you see forced abortions, and forced sterilizations, it raises questions,” said Rep. Lyons. “I’m trying to understand what policies are in place at DMH when it comes to patients under their care.”
Up to this point the agency has defended its efforts to court-ordered abortion and sterilization of a schizophrenic woman, saying the request was made in the patient’s best interest and at the behest of her parents and doctors. If you recall, District Judge Christina Harms ruled the woman could be “coaxed, bribed, or even enticed …by ruse” into a hospital to get the abortion, though the woman has said in the past that her Catholic faith forbade abortion.
We commend Rep. Lyons for demanding answers in this case. Rep. Lyons, along with Rep. Marc Lombardo and Rep. Colleen Garry, spearheaded the legislative investigation into the taxpayer funded graphic website aimed at teens, MariaTalks.com.
Source: Boston Herald