Our 2013 Impact Report
Every year, Jane’s Due Process releases its impact report to show how much work and help they were able to do the year before and to give a state of the state in regards to the legal rights of pregnant minors in Texas.
You can read the full report here: Impact Report Download
As Jane’s Due Process enters its fourteenth year, we continue to be the only organization ensuring legal representation for pregnant minors in Texas. Our goal is for every pregnant teen to know that she has the right to seek legal representation, to be treated with respect and sensitivity by those who work in the legal system, and to participate in legal proceedings where everyone is interested in following the law.
Texas is a safer place for pregnant teenagers because Jane’s Due Process exists. Over the years we have helped thousands of girls make safe and informed choices about how and when to become a parent, guiding many of them through the obstacle course of the “judicial bypass” process.
The core of Jane’s Due Process is our toll-free legal hotline and network attorney program that pairs pregnant minors with lawyers who help them pro bono. Although most clients call us for help with a judicial bypass, we also provide legal information, representation, and referrals for teens who wish to carry to term and for any other legal issue related to a client’s pregnancy, such as emancipation, protective orders, and violations of the Title IX right to an equal education.
When pregnant minors call our hotline, they go through a short screening process and are then referred to a clinic for a sonogram and pregnancy options counseling. Jane’s Due Process requires all clients to meet with a counselor to discuss their situation and explore all of their pregnancy options. Often, there is no other adult with whom our clients can have this important conversation. If clients still want a judicial bypass, they call back to the hotline and are put in touch with one of our network attorneys. The training and resources we provide to our network attorneys result in a 98-99% success rate in judicial bypass cases.
Some highlights from the report:
OF THE CALLERS TO THE HOTLINE IN 2013
- 17% reported having experienced physical or emotional abuse from a parent
- 37% feared being kicked out of the home or disowned for being pregnant.
- 16% were orphans, had parents outside the country, or were unable to contact either parent.
PREVIOUS PREGNANCIES
- 20% had been pregnant before.
- 16% were already mothers supporting at least one child.
