WASHINGTON (WBAP/KLIF News) – A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that an undocumented pregnant teenager from Mexico who is currently detained has the right to undergo an abortion in Texas.
The 17-year-old referred in court documents as Jane Doe is believed to be more than 14 weeks pregnant.
She entered the country without her parents, was caught by immigration authorities and sent to a shelter in Brownsville where she remains in federal custody.
The girl is under the legal care of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
The Federal Office of Refugee Resettlement policy directly prevents unaccompanied immigrant minors from having abortions. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit claiming the policy is unconstitutional.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who led an eight state coalition, filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court supporting the policy.
“An unlawfully-present alien with no substantial ties to this country has no constitutional right to abortion on demand,” he said. “Texas has a legitimate and substantial intereset in preserving and promoting fetal life. Texas must not become a sanctuary state for abortions.”
Attorneys general of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Nebraska, Michigan, Ohio and South Carolina sided with Paxton.
However, after the judge’s ruling, Jane Doe is scheduled to have the abortion later this week.
Copyright 2017. WBAP/KLIF News. All Rights Reserved.
