Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Undocumented Girl Gets Abortion Following Intensely Watched Court Case
The Associated Press: ACLU: Teen At Center Of Abortion Case Has Had Procedure
An immigrant teen in federal custody who was seeking an abortion over the Trump administration's objections had the procedure Wednesday after a U.S. appeals court ruled in her favor, her lawyers said. (Gresko and Merchant, 10/25)
The New York Times: Undocumented Teenager Obtains Abortion After Court Victory
The teenager, who is 17 and is identified in court documents as Jane Doe, illegally crossed the border in Texas in early September and was apprehended. Her pregnancy was discovered during a physical exam, and since then she had been fighting in court to have an abortion. In a statement released by her lawyers and her court-appointed guardian, Jane Doe, who had been nearly 16 weeks pregnant, wrote of coming to the United States with dreams of one day becoming a nurse, and of not being ready to be a parent. (Fernandez, 10/25)
The Washington Post: Jane Doe, Undocumented Teen In U.S. Custody, Aborts Her Unwanted Pregnancy
The abortion ended the girl’s individual court challenge in a case that drew widespread attention and evoked the incendiary issues of abortion rights and illegal immigration. But the broader legal battle over whether the federal government may continue to dissuade, and even block, undocumented teens in its custody from having abortions is still pending in U.S. District Court in Washington. (Sacchetti and Marimow, 10/25)
The Wall Street Journal: Undocumented Teenager Has Abortion After Court Ruling
Though the abortion took place, the case is not over. The ACLU still is challenging the underlying HHS policy on behalf of a class of other teens who may be similarly situated. “The administration’s efforts to interfere in women’s decisions won’t stop with Jane,” said Brigitte Amiri, an ACLU lawyer for the teenager. “With this case we have seen the astounding lengths this administration will go to block women from abortion care.” (Kendall, 10/25)
And in other news —
The New York Times: 10-Year-Old Immigrant Is Detained After Agents Stop Her On Way To Surgery
A 10-year-old girl with cerebral palsy has been detained by federal immigration authorities in Texas after she passed through a Border Patrol checkpoint on her way to a hospital to undergo emergency gall bladder surgery. (Yee and Dickerson, 10/25)
