The Federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is trying to stop immigrant minors from accessing the care they require. Two teenage girls known as Jane Roe and Jane Poe requested an abortion, but the Trump administration refuses to help.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reported that many girls trying to reach the United States coming from Mexico get sexually assaulted during their journey. President Trump’s administration implemented a revised policy “that allows [shelters] to wield an unconstitutional veto power over unaccompanied immigrant minors’ access to abortion,” according to court documents.
Regarding the case of Jane Doe, and Jane Poe, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families, in charge of the ORR, states that since they entered the United States unlawfully, they can “voluntarily depart to their home country or find a suitable sponsor.”
Since Jane Doe was in the legal custody of ORR, and they believe in “fetal life and childbirth,” she was forced to remain pregnant. Her pregnancy got delayed due to those motives.
Jane Doe has been in custody for months and finding support for an immigrant girl trying to abort is not easy. The agency denies many sponsorships. The ACLU is expecting the case to head to the U.S. Supreme Court.
This article was inspired by Rewire // Trump Administration Continues Blocking Immigrant Teens From Accessing Abortion Care