Jeb Bush

Bush Attempted To Assign Legal Guardian To Fetus Of Mentally Disabled Rape Victim In An Effort To Oppose Abortion Rights.  According to The New York Times, “A Florida appeals court panel ruled on Friday that the state could not appoint a guardian for the fetus of a retarded rape victim, dismissing what civil-liberties groups complained was an attack by Gov. Jeb Bush against abortion rights. The ruling does not affect the woman because she gave birth in August. But lawyers who fought the state’s effort said the decision would have a far-reaching impact, because it would keep the state from establishing legal protection for fetuses in the future. Mr. Bush, a Republican, opposes abortion, and he drew national attention by intervening last spring in the case of the woman, who is identified in court papers as J. D. S. A circuit court judge had denied requests to appoint a guardian for the fetus, made by people who feared the woman’s own court-appointed guardian would arrange for an abortion. An Orlando woman seeking to be the fetus’s guardian appealed that decision, and Mr. Bush intervened on her behalf in May. Some critics accused Mr. Bush of using the case to curry favor with conservatives, in part because his brother, President Bush, may need their support to win Florida in the 2004 election.” [The New York Times, 1/11/04]

The Guardianship For The Rape Victim’s Fetus Was Sought Out Of Concern The Pregnancy Might Be Terminated. According to Orlando Sentinel, “The J.D.S. case sparked a national debate on fetal rights last spring after Bush and Jerry Regier, secretary of the Department of Children & Families, asked for the guardian. J.D.S., now 23, is severely retarded and suffers from cerebral palsy and autism. Circuit Judge Lawrence Kirkwood appointed a guardian for her in early June to help make decisions about the woman’s health, including her pregnancy. Kirkwood said no, however, when an Orlando-area woman, Jennifer Wixtrom, sought to become a guardian for J.D.S.’ unborn child at a time when some abortion opponents feared the pregnancy might be terminated. Bush joined in Wixtrom’s appeal to the court in Daytona Beach. J.D.S. gave birth to a baby girl in late August soon after the three-judge panel heard arguments in the case, which the court described in its ruling Friday as a matter ‘of great public importance and capable of recurring.’” [Orlando Sentinel, 1/11/04]