Trump admin. releases undocumented minor from federal custody so she can get an abortion

The Trump administration released an undocumented minor from federal custody on Sunday so she could obtain an abortion, Vice News reported.

What happened?

The 17-year-old teenager, only known by the pseudonym “Jane Moe,” was released after she filed paperwork last Thursday accusing the Office of Refugee Resettlement of preventing her from aborting her 17-week-old baby.

The ORR, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, has legal jurisdiction over all minors who enter the U.S. illegally and without their parents.

The administration responded to Moe’s request saying they would release her to a sponsor, which would allow her to get an abortion, on Jan. 26. The release came nearly two weeks early for reasons yet unknown.

However, according to Vice, the early release may have to do with a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. In the filing, the ACLU sought a temporary restraining order that would have allowed Moe to get her abortion.

"While we are relieved that Jane Moe is reunited with her sponsor, the government blocked her from her abortion for more than two weeks, before deliberately moving her out of their custody only when we filed to take them to court,” the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Unit said in a statement. "We continue to pursue all avenues to ensure that no other young woman like her is forced to continue a pregnancy against her will for purely political reasons."

Is this Moe the first to sue for access to abortion?

No. Moe is the fourth teenage undocumented minor to sue the Trump administration for allegedly blocking their access to abortion.

According to Vice, "Jane Doe" was the first undocumented immigrant to sue the administration last year. She received her abortion in October. She was followed by "Jane Poe" and "Jane Roe" last month. They, too, also received abortions.

Poe, Vice noted, wanted an abortion because she had been impregnated by rape.

In response to the alleged obstructions, the ACLU has said it is pursuing a class-action lawsuit against the government to protect undocumented minors who are in federal custody and want an abortion. A judge has yet to rule on whether that case can proceed, according to Vice.