REUTERS/Mike Blake
The Trump administration appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court late Monday to block one pregnant undocumented immigrant teenager from having an abortion, hours after a federal judge ruled the government cannot prevent access to such procedures. Judge Tanya Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia had ruled in favor of two pregnant undocumented 17-year-olds being held in immigration detention centers, ordering the administration to allow the abortions to be performed as soon as Tuesday night. Both teenagers say the government prevented them from leaving the facility to obtain abortions. However, in a stay application filed Monday evening, U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco said one of the girls “is only about 10 weeks pregnant” and efforts are underway to find a sponsor who could take her out of federal custody within the next two weeks. The Justice Department is not fighting the order for the other girl, who is reported to be 22 weeks pregnant. In her ruling Monday, Chutkan said the government had violated the teenagers’ constitutional right to medical treatment. In a statement on the Monday ruling, the Department of Health and Human Services said it was “deeply disappointed” with the verdict.