WASHINGTON (AP) – A U.S. appeals court has cleared the way for a 17-year-old immigrant held in federal custody to obtain an abortion.
The ruling Tuesday by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overruled a decision by a three-judge panel of the court that at least temporarily blocked the teen from having the procedure.
The panel ruled Friday that the government should get more time to try to release the teen, who is being held in a Texas facility, so she could obtain the abortion outside government custody.
The panel ruled 2-1 that the government should have until Oct. 31 to release the girl into the custody of a so-called sponsor, such as an adult relative in the U.S. The teen could then obtain the procedure.
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