Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice Groups Deliver Quarter of a Million Petitions, Call for Removal of Scott Lloyd as ORR Director

Today, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH), All Above All,* and twenty-two reproductive health, rights and justice partner organizations delivered over 270,000 petitions that call for the immediate removal of Scott Lloyd as Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), and an end to the cruel policies and practices that allow the ORR to continue interfering with immigrant women’s right to abortion care. The petitions were delivered in a rally held in front of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Bethany Van Kampen, senior policy analyst for NLIRH, issued the following statement:

“Despite Jane Doe, Roe, Moe and Poe being forced to litigate their right to abortion and overcome countless obstacles and hurdles placed in their way – obstacles that no woman should have to encounter – the ORR, under the direction of Scott Lloyd, did everything in its power to force them to continue pregnancies against their will. This is a human rights violation plain and simple.

“The abuse of power and the administrative overreach used to shame, bully, and deny care to these young women is unconscionable. No one should have to endure delays, a forced trip to a fake women’s health center, shaming, coercion, or a protracted legal battle just to access their basic right to health care. Crossing a border or being in a detention center does not strip a person of their human rights. All of the Janes carried and continue to carry with them their fundamental human rights, including the right to decide when and if to become a parent.

“Scott Lloyd has admitted that he believes undocumented minors don’t have a constitutional right to an abortion, even in the case of rape, and the policy under his leadership reflects just that. Lloyd and ORR simply do not have the constitutional authority to deny abortion care to the young people in their custody – NLIRH demands that he be removed and that this horrific policy end once and for all. All people, whatever their immigration status, should be able to make decisions about their health and future with dignity and self-determination.”

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.