The undocumented immigrant teenager who had been trying to terminate her pregnancy in Texas for the past several weeks had an abortion Wednesday, the ACLU said in a statement.
The young woman, who is 17, is in a federal shelter for minors since she came to the US without her parents. “Justice prevailed today for Jane Doe,” Brigitte Amiri, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project said in a statement.
But make no mistake about it, the Administration’s efforts to interfere in women’s decisions won’t stop with Jane.”
The Trump administration had tried to block the young woman from leaving the shelter to have an abortion with several court filings, but an appeals court ruled Tuesday night that she would be able to have the procedure.
“With this case we have seen the astounding lengths this administration will go to block women from abortion care,” Amiri said. “We will not stop fighting until we have justice for every woman like Jane.”
Court reverses earlier decision
The 6-3 ruling Tuesday by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a decision by a three-judge panel on the same court that stalled the process by ordering the US Department of Health and Human Services to find a sponsor for the girl.
A district court judge then ordered HHS to allow the teen to be transported “promptly and without delay” to the abortion provider of her choosing.
“No one should be shamed for making the right decision for themselves,” the teen, identified as Jane Doe, said in a statement released by her lawyer.
“I would not tell any other girl in my situation what they should do. That decision is hers and hers alone.”