Detained Pregnant Teen Immigrant’s Path to Abortion Cleared by Federal Appellate Court

Abortion rights supporters and anti-abortion activists protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court during the 44th annual March for Life on Jan. 27, 2017, in Washington, D.C. (Credit: ZACH GIBSON/AFP/Getty Images)

by: Los Angeles Times

Posted: Oct 24, 2017 / 12:55 PM PDT

Updated: Oct 24, 2017 / 12:55 PM PDT

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

The federal appeals court in Washington on Tuesday rejected an anti-abortion rule adopted by the Trump administration and cleared the way for a 17-year-old migrant to end her pregnancy.

By a 6-3 vote, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the administration to allow the teenager to obtain an abortion.

The young migrant, identified only as Jane Doe or JD, crossed the border illegally and said she was fleeing violence and abuse in Central America. An examination determined she was about 11 weeks pregnant.

The case, the first significant legal dispute over abortion since President Trump took office, put a spotlight on a little-known agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.