HHS Sued Over Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors Being Denied Contraception, Abortion
The minors are being placed in the care of religion-based agencies, whose policies, the ACLU says, conflicts with a First Amendment prohibition on establishment of religion. The suit was filed in federal court in San Francisco.
The New York Times:
Suit Challenges U.S. Over Abortions And Birth Control For Immigrant Minors
The federal government is placing unaccompanied immigrant minors caught crossing the Southern border, including teenage girls who were raped on the journey north, in the care of religion-based agencies that refuse to provide legally required access to contraception and abortion, according to a lawsuit filed on Friday. Like the dispute over the requirement that health plans cover contraception, the lawsuit, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union against the Department of Health and Human Services, highlights a clash between federal rules and the beliefs of Roman Catholic and other groups that say they are exempt from the requirements on grounds of religious freedom. (Eckholm, 6/24)