The federal government has taken action to provide abortion access to pregnant unaccompanied children crossing the border.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) issued guidance Thursday stating that pregnant unaccompanied children (UC) at the border must be resettled in states without restrictions on abortion.
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“ORR Intakes Team must prioritize placement of pregnant UC and UC who are victims of sexual-based crimes in states without abortion bans and with broad access to reproductive health care for minors,” the guidance reads.
The ORR also pledged to transport pregnant unaccompanied minors to abortion clinics when requested.
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Migrants who aim to reach the U.S. walk along a highway as they leave San Pedro Sula, Honduras before dawn Tuesday.
(AP Photo/Delmer Martinez)
“ORR will, to the greatest extent possible, transfer pregnant UC requesting an abortion to an ORR program that is state-licensed to care for pregnant UC and in an appropriate location to support the UC’s health care needs and access to an appropriate medical provider who is able to legally perform the requested abortion,” the guidance continues.
Individuals within the ORR that have religious objections to abortion are not required to assist the procurement of an abortion, but are required to notify officials of any pregnant UC.
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Migrants, many from Central America and Venezuela, walk along the Huehuetan Highway in Chiapas State, Mexico, early Tuesday, June 7, 2022.
(AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
The ORR is a subsection of the Department of Health and Human Services.
