A 12-year-old girl who fell pregnant while in state custody and has suffered significant domestic violence throughout her childhood has been granted an abortion by the Supreme Court of Queensland.
The girl, identified in court documents as ‘G’, visited her doctor earlier this year when she suspected she was pregnant. A scan in early July confirmed she was five weeks and six days gestation.
She was referred to a Queensland hospital, and sought a termination at seven weeks.
The hospital took the girl’s case to the Supreme Court, with concerns she was not competent enough to provide informed consent around having the surgical procedure. Under law, known as the Gillick standard, children can make decisions about their healthcare, provided they completely understand the procedure. In 2018, Q