Free Protect and Defend by Richard North Patterson

and a half months old, at a minimum.” Nolan’s tone was flavored with distaste. “That makes your position rather unattractive, doesn’t it.”
    A sense of unreality hit Sarah hard: they were sitting in Nolan’s corner office, with its panoramic view of the San Francisco Bay, talking about a pregnant girl with Olympian detachment. It helped transform her nervousness to passion.
    “No,” she retorted. “It demonstrates how cynical this statute is in theory, and how cruel in practice. Congress takes a girl with sound medical and emotional reasons to abort, and makes those problems two months worse—because the courts are ‘protecting’ her from herself. The plain effect is to make underage girls have babies, and to place them at more risk.
    “Among the risks in this case is that Mary Ann Tierney will have a hideously defective child, and never have another. I don’t think that’s right, do you?”
    A small frown dismissed this question as too emotive. “What’s ‘right’ may seem clear to you. But some of my partners believe that Congress can, and
should
, limit a fifteen-year-old’s ability to abort a viable fetus simply because
she
considers the consequences of her own sexual conduct— pregnancy—distressing.
    “Nor do they think it’s ‘right’ to finance a lawsuit which offends their own beliefs just because a fifth-year associate wants them to. Especially when pro-abortion activists would be pleased to take your place.”
    To Sarah, Nolan’s speech was more devastating for its absence of inflection. She felt her own voice rise. “This girl is living with two pro-life parents. I don’t think she can hold out if we send her somewhere else.”
    Nolan raised his head, as though to scrutinize her from greater heights. “In that case, how would you answer the charge of improper influence—that this is
your
lawsuit, not hers? And that you’ve separated an impressionable girl from a loving family to serve your own political agenda.”
    This was meant to silence her, Sarah knew. “The way you would with any minor,” she came back. “First, I’d ask the court to appoint a
guardian ad litem
to speak for her best interests—”
    “A counselor from the women’s clinic?” Nolan interjected. “From your memo, she doesn’t appear to have some favorite pro-choice aunt.”
    Sarah ignored this. “Second,” she persisted, “I’d engage a psychologist who specializes in adolescents, to testify that Mary Ann understands what she is asking the court to do, and that she believes it’s best for her.
    “Third, we hire an independent expert—an ob-gyn—to confirm that the medical risks of carrying this fetus to term are real, and that Mary Ann hasn’t exaggerated them as an excuse to end an unwanted pregnancy.
    “Fourth, we have Mary Ann sign a client consent form which sets out how she met me, the reasons for her desire to terminate, and that she has asked us to bring the suit.” Pausing, Sarah softened her voice. “I’m not proposing that we let a teenage girl delude us, or open ourselves to charges of ‘improper influence.’ Or to let anyone use that as an excuse.”
    For the first time, Nolan looked nettled—as much by her readiness to answer, Sarah thought, as by her implicit challenge. “One of the reasons I came to Kenyon & Walker,” she said evenly, “is that we do pro bono work. If we put other pro bono cases up for a vote, some of the partners wouldn’t like
them
, either.” Briefly, she inclined her head toward Votek.“I’m sure
Scott
doesn’t like it when we represent polluters against the EPA, for money. But we do it—because it’s profitable, and because even polluters have a right to representation.
    “Whether one agrees with Mary Ann or not, as a principle of our profession even a teenager has the right to challenge a law. That she’s so powerless makes the principle more compelling.”
    “I know something about principles.” Nolan placed both palms flat on his