A U.S. appeals court on Friday prevented a pregnant teen detained by the government as an illegal immigrant from immediately obtaining an abortion while leaving open the possibility that she could undergo the procedure within days.
The decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on a 2-1 vote gave the unnamed teen until Oct. 31 to find a sponsor who could help her obtain the procedure without the government's assistance.
The 17-year-old girl from an unidentified country, currently detained in Texas, has sought an abortion over the government's opposition.
A federal judge in Washington this week ruled the procedure could go ahead.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services obtained a temporary order blocking the decision until the appeals court ruled. The government has said it does not want to facilitate the procedure.
The court said that if the teen could not find a sponsor, she could renew her legal claim.
© 2025 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.