Undocumented teen obtains abortion after court battle

The undocumented pregnant teen at the center of a legal fight about the abortion rights of undocumented minors obtained an abortion this morning, according to her lawyers.

The 17-year-old girl, identified as Jane Doe in court documents, was able to receive pre-abortion counseling as required by Texas law before the procedure today, A federal appeals court Tuesday night said the teen could proceed with the abortion.
The girl, who was nearly 16 weeks pregnant, had been seeking an abortion since she was detained in a federally funded shelter in Texas in early September. The Trump administration had denied the Central American teen access to the procedure, instead taking her to a crisis pregnancy center for counseling and calling her parents in Central America to tell them she was pregnant.
People involved in the case and familiar with the administration's policy said the Office of Refugee Resettlement, part of HHS, has engaged in a pattern of intervening to prevent abortions sought by girls at federally funded shelters.

The girl's case set off a legal battle by the American Civil Liberties Union to force the administration to release her before Texas’ 20-week abortion ban kicked in.

The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., less than two weeks ago and then appealed to D.C. Circuit Court with unusual speed.

On Tuesday, the full bench of the D.C. Circuit overturned an earlier ruling last Friday from a three-judge panel of that court that gave the Trump administration until Oct. 31 to try to defuse the controversy by finding an adult sponsor who could take in the girl.

The girl’s lawyers arranged for the procedure to take place before the administration could appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
In a statement released Wednesday morning, the girl said she remained convinced that she wanted to have an abortion, even as officials from the administration and others tried to change her mind.

“I knew immediately what was best for me then, as I do now – that I’m not ready to be a parent,” she wrote. “I made my decision and that is between me and God.”

The girl also said that she hopes to remain in the country to become a nurse.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has yet to weigh in on a broader request brought by the ACLU on behalf of pregnant undocumented minors in federally-funded shelters over the administration policy of blocking abortions for minors in their care.