Today, more than a month after she made her decision to have an abortion, Jane Doe, a 17-year-old immigrant woman, received the care that she needed.
In response, board chair of Physicians for Reproductive Health Dr. Willie Parker issued the following statement:
“I am so glad to hear that Jane Doe was able to get her abortion, accomplishing her personal reproductive goal. This young woman had overcome so many obstacles to get to this country on her own, only to be held hostage by the very department in the U.S. that is tasked with promoting health and well-being.
Everyone has a legal right to abortion, no matter who they are or where they are from.
Jane did everything correctly. She made a decision to have an abortion, obtained permission from a judge in lieu of parental consent, raised the money on her own, and still was being forced to carry a pregnancy. As a physician, I know that once she made the decision regarding her pregnancy, the most important thing was for her to be able to access medically appropriate and compassionate care. Delaying procedures has severe mental and health effects on patients. My colleagues and I had been outraged to see Jane denied this necessary care. Thankfully, in the spirit Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the delay of justice, which had become a denial of justice for Jane, has been truncated.
This is far from an isolated case, and it is part of the cruel and dangerous efforts by this administration to try and dismantle access to reproductive health care. Everyone has a legal right to abortion, no matter who they are or where they are from. They have a right to control their medical decisions, to decide when to be a parent, to be able to thrive. That is justice, that is freedom, that is what people come to this country for.”
