US court grants undocumented teen right to seek abortion

WASHINGTON: A US appeals court on Tuesday ruled in favor of an undocumented pregnant teenager, saying she could get an abortion against the will of the White House.
A full panel of judges at the federal court in Washington overturned a decision issued Friday that forbid the 17-year-old held at a government-funded detention facility from seeking an abortion.
The case emerged as the first major legal battle concerning abortion during Donald Trump's presidency, taking on heavy symbolic weight as it impacted the rights of both women and immigrants.
Identified as "Jane Doe" in court documents, the girl is currently detained in Texas.
She crossed the US-Mexico border without authorisation after fleeing violence in Central America. Her lawyers say it was after her arrival and detention that she realised she was pregnant.
The adolescent requested an abortion in Sept and a medical examination estimated her pregnancy was some 11 weeks along.
Time is of the essence: the teen is now more than 15 weeks pregnant and Texas prohibits most abortions after 20 weeks.
"Today's decision rights a grave constitutional wrong by the government," said Judge Patricia Millett in the decision rendered Tuesday by a majority of six judges to three.
Friday's decision had seen two members of a three-judge panel from the same court rule against the abortion.
The Trump administration could now appeal the latest decision to the nation's top court, which legalised abortion nationwide in 1973.
But since Trump took office, the landmark legislation has come under threat, with abortion opponents in states where Republicans hold power adopting draconian anti-abortion measures that sometimes challenge constitutional liberties. — AFP