FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

News

Two more undocumented pregnant teens are fighting the Trump admin for abortions

Two more undocumented teenagers filed court documents against the Trump administration Friday in an effort to secure abortions before their pregnancies get too far along to legally obtain one.

The teens, who were dubbed Jane Roe and Jane Poe in the court papers, are both 17 years old and currently being held by shelters operated by the Office of Refugee Resettlement. They’ve asked the shelters for permission to get abortions, but the Office has so far refused to grant them, court records filed Friday allege.

Advertisement

The teens are now both seeking restraining orders that would allow them to get their abortions.

This is at least the second time that the Trump administration has refused to allow a pregnant undocumented teen to get an abortion. A teen who went by the name Jane Doe in court documents sued the government in October over their refusal to allow her to get an abortion while she remained in federal custody. Doe ultimately won, but the Trump administration later asked the Supreme Court to vacate the order that secured her an abortion, arguing that Doe’s lawyers misled them about the timing.

According to court papers, Roe is about 10 weeks pregnant, while Poe is in her second trimester of pregnancy. Their lawyers are not revealing where the minors are being held, in an effort to protect their identities. That’s significant for the case: Different states have varying restrictions on late into a pregnancy an abortion can be performed.

Most states also require minors seeking abortions without telling their parents to get permission from a judge in order to do so. The court records don’t specify if either Roe or Poe obtained that permission.

“But the Trump administration is relentless in its cruelty, blocking abortion access for the most marginalized people in our country,” Brigitte Amiri, senior staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union’s Reproductive Freedom Project, said in a statement. The ACLU is representing Roe and Poe in court. “It’s unreal that the federal government is trying to force more young women to continue their pregnancies against their will.”

The Office of Refugee Resettlement did not immediately return VICE News’ request for comment, but its head, Scott Lloyd, is a vocal opponent of abortion.