On Wednesday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) appeared in court to argue that the government has the right to stop detained undocumented teens from getting an abortion.
In March, a federal court temporarily blocked the Trump administration from interfering with any detained immigrant’s right to get an abortion. Since then, 12 young, immigrant women in federal custody have received information or access to abortion services.
Now, the DOJ is asking a higher court to void this district court’s decision, arguing the administration is not violating Supreme Court abortion precedent because immigrants have, for example, the option to self-deport should they want an abortion.
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals will soon decide to either side with the DOJ or the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who’s defending these detained minors in court and arguing that the administration is violating the legal right to abortion afforded by Roe v. Wade.
