Supreme Court abortion showdown could be defused
The Justice Department says a pregnant immigrant thought to be 17 appears to be 19.
By JOSH GERSTEIN and RENUKA RAYASAM
12/19/2017 04:43 PM EST
A looming Supreme Court showdown over abortion rights for immigrant children in federal custody could be defused for now after the U.S. government discovered evidence that one of the pregnant teens at the center of the fight may be an adult.
Lawyers for the Trump administration say a birth certificate for the immigrant known in court filings as Jane Roe shows her to be 19, not 17 as previously thought.
“The determination was made after [the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement] obtained a copy of Ms. Roe’s certificate of birth from her home country,†Justice Department attorneys said in a filing Tuesday with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
“Accordingly, ORR is currently transferring custody of Ms. Roe to the Department of Homeland Security as an adult.â€
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https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/19/supreme-court-abortion-pregnant-immigrant-teen-305753
