71-6903 Abortion; authorized by court; when; procedures; confidentiality; guardian ad litem.
71-6903. Abortion; authorized by court; when; procedures; confidentiality; guardian ad litem.(1) If a pregnant woman elects not to notify her parent, a judge of a district court, separate juvenile court, or county court sitting as a juvenile court shall, upon petition or motion and after an appropriate hearing, authorize a physician to perform the abortion if the court determines that the pregnant woman is mature and capable of giving informed consent to the proposed abortion. If the court determines that the pregnant woman is not mature or if the pregnant woman does not claim to be mature, the court shall determine whether the performance of an abortion upon her without notification of her parent would be in her best interests and shall authorize a physician to perform the abortion without such notification if the court concludes that the best interests of the pregnant woman would be served thereby.(2) A facsimile copy of the petition or motion may be transmitted directly to the court for filing. If a facsimile copy is filed in lieu of the original document, the party filing the facsimile copy shall retain the original document for production to the court if requested to do so.(3) A court shall not be required to have a facsimile machine nor shall the court be required to transmit orders or other material to attorneys or parties via facsimile transmission.(4) An action for waiver of notification shall be commenced by the filing of a petition or motion personally, by mail, or by facsimile on a form provided by the State Court Administrator. The State Court Administrator shall develop the petition form and accompanying instructions on the procedure for petitioning the court for a waiver of notification, including the name, address, telephone number, and facsimile number of each court in the state. A sufficient number of petition forms and instructions shall be made available in each courthouse in such place that members of the general public may obtain a form and instructions without requesting such form and instructions from the clerk of the court or other court personnel. The clerk of the court shall, upon request, assist in completing and filing the petition for waiver of notification.(5) Proceedings in court pursuant to this section shall be confidential. Proceedings shall be held in camera. Only the pregnant woman, the pregnant woman's guardian ad litem, the pregnant woman's attorney, and a person whose presence is specifically requested by the pregnant woman, the pregnant woman's guardian ad litem, or the pregnant woman's attorney may attend the hearing on the petition. All testimony, all documents, all other evidence presented to the court, the petition and any order entered, and all records of any nature and kind relating to the matter shall be sealed by the clerk of the court and shall not be open to any person except upon order of the court for good cause shown. A separate docket for the purposes of this section shall be maintained by the clerk of the court and shall likewise be sealed and not opened to inspection by any person except upon order of the court for good cause shown.(6) A pregnant woman who is subject to this section may participate in the court proceedings on her own behalf, and the court may appoint a guardian ad litem for her. The court shall advise the pregnant woman that she has a right to court-appointed counsel and shall, upon her request, provide her with such counsel. Such counsel shall receive a fee to be fixed by the court and to be paid out of the treasury of the county in which the proceeding was held.(7) Proceedings in court pursuant to this section shall be given such precedence over other pending matters so that the court may reach a decision promptly and without delay to serve the best interests of the pregnant woman. In no case shall the court fail to rule within seven calendar days from the time the petition is filed. If the court fails to rule within the required time period, the pregnant woman may file an application for a writ of mandamus with the Supreme Court. If cause for a writ of mandamus exists, the writ shall issue within three days. If the judge issues a ruling adverse to the pregnant woman, the judge shall issue written findings of fact and conclusions of law.(8) The court shall issue a written order which shall be provided immediately to the pregnant woman, the pregnant woman's guardian ad litem, the pregnant woman's attorney, or any other person designated by the pregnant woman to receive the order. SourceLaws 1991, LB 425, § 3. AnnotationsIn a proceeding brought under section 71-6901 et seq., the burden of proof on all issues rests with the pregnant woman, and such burden must be established by clear and convincing evidence. As related to a pregnant woman's abortion decision, maturity is not solely a matter of social skills, level of intelligence, or verbal skills, but, more importantly, a matter of experience, perspective, and judgment. In re Petition of Anonymous I, 251 Neb. 424, 558 N.W.2d 784 (1997).