IN RE: ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER 1994-9 -- ABORTION CONTROL ACT MINOR'S PETITION
ORDER OF COURT
AND NOW, this 22nd day of July, 1994, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED:
1. Petitions to the court by or on behalf of a minor for consent pursuant to The Abortion Control Act, 18 Pa. C.S.A. 3206(c), shall be filed with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court Division.
2. The Clerk of the Orphans' Court Division shall provide assistance to a minor who wants to file a petition for court consent. Said assistance shall include:
a. providing to the minor forms 1 5 attached hereto;
b. designating and contacting an attorney for the minor from the list of attorneys willing to serve in such matters prepared by the President Judge; and
c. aiding a minor who declines the assistance of an attorney in completing the petition and forms.
3. No fee shall be charged a minor by the Clerk of the Orphans' Court Division for filing a petition or related documents pursuant to the Abortion Control Act.
4. The petition shall be captioned by use of the initials of the applicant only. The Clerk shall maintain permanently the full name and address of the minor petitioner, her parents, her guardian, if any, and if her parents are deceased and she has no guardian, anyone in loco parentis for the minor. Said information shall not be disclosed to anyone except upon order of court.
5. The Clerk of Orphans' Court shall notify the Motions Judge upon receipt of a completed petition and supporting documents. The Motions Judge shall schedule a hearing on the petition; if possible, the hearing shall be conducted on the same day as the petition is filed.
6. The hearing shall be closed to the public. Only petitioner, her counsel, court personnel and others whose presence is requested by the minor may be present.
7. All hearings shall be recorded. A transcript of the hearing shall be prepared immediately. The transcript shall be filed and sealed.
8. The file maintained by the Clerk of the Orphans' Court Division shall be sealed. The file shall not be released to anyone except upon order of court.
BY THE COURT,
Robert A. Freedberg, P.J.