Immigrant teen seeking abortion asks court to reconsider

WASHINGTON – Attorneys for a pregnant teen being held in a Texas immigration facility are asking a federal appeals court to reconsider its decision not to order the government to let her obtain an abortion.

Lawyers for the 17-year-old on Sunday asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to hold another hearing before all the court’s judges. The government Monday asked the court to deny a re-hearing.

A three-judge panel ruled panel Friday that the government should be given more time to try to release the teen so that she could obtain the abortion outside of government custody.

The court ruled 2-1 that the government should have until Oct. 31 to release the girl to a so-called sponsor, such as an adult relative in the United States.