Court delays abortion for undocumented teen in detention

The ruling set a deadline of October 31 for the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to get a sponsor for the girl, who is a minor.

The 17-year-old, identified in court documents only as "Jane Doe," came to the United States without her parents and is staying in a shelter for unaccompanied immigrant minors run by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, according to court documents.

"If a sponsor is secured and J.D. is released from HHS custody to the sponsor, HHS agrees that J.D. then will be lawfully able, if she chooses, to obtain an abortion on her own pursuant to the relevant state law," according to the order from the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a statement Friday saying he was "disappointed" with the court's decision because it gives the federal government time to find a sponsor for the teen "so she can be taken for an abortion."

"Unlawfully-present aliens with no substantial ties to the U.S. do not have a right to abortion on demand," Paxton said. "Texas must not become a sanctuary state for abortions."

Thursday, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals issued an administrative stay of a ruling that would have allowed the teenager to obtain an abortion. That ruling, from a federal judge on Wednesday, ordered the government to allow the girl to get an abortion after the Trump administration denied her access to one.

In a two-page decision, DC District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered officials at the Department of Health and Human Services to allow the teen to be transported by a guardian or attorney "promptly and without delay" to an abortion provider to obtain state-mandated counseling and then to obtain the abortion.

The order also barred those officials from "interfering or obstructing" the girl's access, from forcing her to make her decision known to anyone and from "retaliating" against her and the facility where she is in regards to her decision.

But the Court of Appeals issued a stay on the ruling Thursday to "give the court sufficient opportunity to consider the emergency motion" filed by the government. That ruling came Friday.

The ACLU, which is representing the girl, filed a lawsuit late last week against the administration.

"This administration has no shame and no regard for a woman's health or decisions," said Brigitte Amiri, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. "Weeks ago, our client decided to end her pregnancy. Her decision has been disregarded and she's now been dragged into a protracted legal battle over her ability to get the care she needs."