The HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) issued the directive on November 10. The new directive states:
This Field Guidance confirms that ORR staff and care providers must not prevent [unaccompanied children] from accessing legal abortion-related services and that ORR staff and care providers must make all reasonable efforts to facilitate access to these services if requested by the [unaccompanied children]. This may involve transporting a minor to a state in which abortion is lawful and available if the minor is currently in a state in which abortion is not lawful or available.
By federal law, all children under the age of 18 who enter the country without a parent or guardian are under the custody of the HHS. 2021 ORR data says that one-third of the 123,000 migrant children taken into federal custody in 2021 were female. No data is available showing how many were pregnant.
An HHS spokesperson told CBS news that the administration's change in policy is another response to the US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The spokesperson was quoted saying that the administration is "committed to supporting access to essential health care, including reproductive health care, for all the populations we serve."
