Appeals court rules teen can't be denied abortion; gives government time to find her a sponsor
Source: The Washington Post
By Maria Sacchetti and Ann E. Marimow October 20 at 5:44 PM
BREAKING: A D.C. appeals court has ruled that an undocumented, pregnant teenager who is in U.S. custody must be allowed to have an abortion, but gave the federal government until Oct. 31 to find her a sponsor so that the government does not have to facilitate the procedure.
Lawyers for the girl said in court Friday morning that it would be difficult to find a government-approved sponsor, to take custody of the teen, who is being held in a special detention facility for undocumented minors caught crossing the border into the United States illegally.
The teen, who is identified in court papers as “Jane Doe,” is 15 weeks pregnant and has been seeking an abortion since late September. A court judge on Wednesday ordered the government to allow the procedure by Saturday, but the government appealed, resulting in Friday’s decision to extend the time frame by 10 days.
Texas law bans abortion after 20 weeks, and requires patients seeking abortions to undergo counseling by a doctor at least 24 hours before the procedure.cedure.
This is a developing story. It will be updated shortly.
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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/immigration/appeals-court-weighs-whether-immigrant-teen-can-be-denied-abortion-while-in-us-custody/2017/10/20/ab414d2a-b50c-11e7-9e58-e6288544af98_story.html
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