Repro Roundup: Trump administration ends policy of refusing abortion for unaccompanied immigrant minors

Welcome to my column, The Repro Roundup, where I summarize abortion news happening around the country, why it matters, and what you can do about it — in 250 words or less.

What’s the issue? Three years ago, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) blocked a 17-year-old immigrant from obtaining an abortion. According to the ACLU, the federal government blocked her access to abortion care, kept her from leaving the detention center, forced her to undergo religious “counseling” from a fake women’s health center (crisis pregnancy center, or CPC), and forced her to undergo a medically unnecessary ultrasound. Additionally, she was prayed over and surveilled. Even though she had obtained a court order to proceed with the abortion without involving her parents, then-ORR Director Scott Lloyd instructed his staff to inform her parents. After weeks of court battles, the minor, Jane Doe, was allowed to proceed with the abortion. Yesterday, the ORR reversed its policy and now allows minors to obtain abortion care.

Why does this matter? Immigrant justice is reproductive justice. Everyone — minors, immigrants, women of color — deserves access to abortion care. Preventing certain groups of people, especially already marginalized and subjugated groups, from accessing abortion care is wrong. Immigrant detention centers are especially heinous in regards to how they treat women, with reports of women being forcibly sterilized at an ICE center earlier this month.

How can I take action?

• Donate to Jane’s Due Process, the Texas-based organization that advocated on behalf of Jane Doe. This org does extensive work with Judicial Bypass, the process that minors must go through in order to obtain abortion care without parental notice or consent.
• Volunteer with Jane’s Due Process, especially if you are an attorney who wants to represent teens in judicial bypass hearings
• Read the history of abuses outlined by the whistleblower at the ICE detention center

• Subscribe to The Repro Queen of DC, my monthly newsletter on abortion access, activism, and writing on the frontlines of DC.
• Subscribe to Repro 101, a seven-week educational email series about all things repro. Topics include the basics of funding abortion, clinic escorting, anti-choice violence, and more.