NARAL Statement on Latest Development in Jane Doe Case

Tonight, NARAL President Ilyse Hogue issued the following statement in response to the federal judge’s decision to allow Jane Doe to receive abortion care despite the Trump administration’s objections:

“It’s heartening to know that the third branch of government remains committed to the rule of law and human rights despite repeated attempts by the Trump administration to do away with both. The refusal of the Trump administration to allow this woman to make her own decisions about her own body is a horrifying example of how it is targeting this young woman in her most vulnerable state.

“We know that the Trump administration’s motivations have never been about women’s health, but about pushing a backwards, cruel ideology by any means necessary. Women should be able to make our own decisions about our bodies, and that includes whether or not to get an abortion. The same standard should apply to Jane Doe, and the many other women like her who face similar situations.

“Holding this young woman against her will and forcing her to remain pregnant, while dragging her to a fake clinic that lies, shames, and intentionally misleads women about their healthcare options is cruel. This woman deserves basic dignity and access to safe care. She should be treated as a human being, and afforded the most basic human right to bodily autonomy. We stand with Jane Doe and the ACLU in their efforts to protect this young woman, and the countless other women who face horrifyingly similar situations.”

Along with continuously preventing Jane Doe from receiving proper care, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) forced her to visit a so called crisis pregnancy center – a fake clinic that lies, shames, and intentionally misleads women about their health options. A spokesperson for Scott Lloyd, the Director of ORR, recently said that Lloyd “is going to make choices that he thinks are best” for this woman.

NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates are dedicated to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom for all Americans. NARAL works to guarantee that every woman has the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. In recognition of its work defending our constitutional right to choose, Fortune Magazine described NARAL as “one of the top 10 advocacy groups in America.”