Court Halts Ruling Allowing Immigrant Teen to Have Abortion

HOUSTON (AP) — An appeals court has temporarily stayed a judge's ruling that would have allowed a pregnant 17-year-old being held in a Texas facility for unaccompanied immigrant children to obtain an abortion.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued a short ruling Thursday and scheduled a hearing for Friday morning.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services filed an appeal Wednesday night shortly after U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled in favor of the teenager.

The teen, whose name has been withheld because she's a minor, has already received a state court order permitting her to have the abortion. But federal officials have refused to transport her or temporarily release her so that others may take her to have the procedure.

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