ABORTION/HHS/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Two undocumented immigrants in United States custody must be allowed to have abortions, a federal judge ruled on Monday [12-18-17], objecting to a Trump administration policy.
The immigrants, both 17, entered the United States illegally and are being held in government-run shelters. Under a policy announced in March by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, federally funded shelters cannot take ‘any action that facilitates’ an abortion for an unaccompanied minor without the approval of the office’s director.
Department officials argue that the teenagers, referred to in court documents as Jane Roe and Jane Poe, can obtain abortions by returning to their home countries or finding an American sponsor. But Judge Tanya S. Chutkan noted in her order on Monday that the approval process for potential sponsors is long and complex. In fact, one of Roe’s relatives — a United States citizen — has filed an application but has yet to complete the vetting requirements…
The court has moved quickly since the lawsuit was filed on Friday. But Judge Chutkan, of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, stayed her order for 24 hours to allow for an emergency appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The government filed that appeal almost immediately, and also asked the Supreme Court for an emergency stay of Judge Chutkan’s order.
On Monday evening, the Court of Appeals extended the stay for an additional day to give itself time to examine the case…
The abortions would be paid for with private funds, not taxpayer dollars, Judge Chutkan noted in her order. The government, she wrote, is trying to claim ‘ultimate authority to unilaterally veto the reproductive choices of the unaccompanied minors in its custody.’ “
-Maggie Astor, “2 Undocumented Teenagers Must Be Allowed Abortions, Judge Rules,” The New York Times online, Dec. 18, 2017