Jane Doe Wins Access to Abortion as NLIRH Continues to Fight For Health, Dignity, and Justice For All

AUSTIN, TX — Today, Jane Doe was able to move forward with her abortion after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. issued an order requiring the Trump Administration to stop blocking her from essential reproductive healthcare. Justice for Jane comes a month after the Trump administration held her hostage and forced her to continue a pregnancy against her will. Nancy Cárdenas Peña, State Policy Associate Director, Texas Latina Advocacy Network (TX LAN), and Bethany Van Kampen, Policy Analyst, of National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH), issued the following statements:

“We are relieved that today Jane was able exercise her right to make decisions about her health, family, and future. But this fight is far from over. In Texas, legislators continue to pass bills that limit women from accessing our right to abortion and drive us further away from health equity. Every day, immigrant women like Jane are forced to forgo needed reproductive care because of anti-woman and anti-immigrant policies that interfere with their human right to healthcare and basic dignity.  No woman, regardless how much money they earn, where they live, or their immigration status should have to endure delays and legal battles for the right to make autonomous decisions about their own bodies,” said Cárdenas Peña.

“The ORR must change their policies for all people in their care to prevent the gross abuse of power Jane had to endure. Like Jane, there are more young immigrant women whose immigration status make them vulnerable targets of the anti-choice political agenda. Anti-choice and anti-immigrant politicians should not be able to abuse, coerce, and control young women held in federal detention facilities or federally funded shelters. This is a human rights issue. No one should interfere with a woman’s right to make decisions about her health and her future with dignity and self-determination. Eight in ten Latino/a voters agree that a woman should be able to make her own personal decisions about abortion without politicians interfering. The time is now to demand much needed change. NLIRH will continue to fight until reproductive justice is achieved for every person like Jane,” said Van Kampen.

For more information on NLIRH’s fight for health, dignity and justice, visit us at latinainstitute.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter @NLIRH.

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The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health is the only national reproductive justice organization dedicated to building Latina power to advance health, dignity, and justice for 28 million Latinas, their families, and communities in the United States through leadership development, community mobilization, policy advocacy, and strategic communications.