A federal appeals court sought a compromise solution Friday in a dispute between a 17-year-old undocumented teenager who wants an abortion and a federal agency that doesn't want to help her get it.
A three-judge panel that includes two Republican appointees gave the Trump administration until Oct. 31 to find a sponsor for the girl, who crossed from Mexico to Texas last month and is 15 weeks pregnant. That would facilitate the abortion without involving the Department of Health and Human Services.
Advocates for Jane Doe say that finding a sponsor for the child could take too long. If a sponsor is not found within 11 days of this ruling, the matter returns to district court Judge Tanya Chutkan, who issued to initial order to allow the teen to get an abortion.
The government has argued that she can get the abortion if she returns to Mexico, at which point she would be denied the opportunity to remain in the United States as she wishes.
While this ruling was unsigned, the three judges intend to write separate opinions, including one concurring with the judgment and one strongly dissenting.
https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/reproductive_rights/2017/10/court-blocks-undocumented-teens-abortion-for-now.html
