Texas AG Expresses 'Profound Disappointment' After Undocumented Teen Granted Abortion

AUSTIN, TX — The state's attorney general expressed "profound disappointment" on Wednesday after an undocumented teenager detained at a Texas facility was allowed to undergo an abortion after a weeks-long legal fight with the Trump administration.

The Trump administration had sought to block the undocumented 17-year-old at the detention facility where she's being held after arriving in the U.S. Federal and state officials had argued that because the unidentified young woman is undocumented, she had no inherent right to an elective abortion in the U.S.

Texas Attorney General enthusiastically inserted himself into the debate, vowing to block the unidentified teen from having an abortion. His opposition was predicated on his perception that granting the young woman the abortion she sought might open the floodgates for more such procedures among the undocumented masses: "Texas must not become a sanctuary state for abortions," Paxton previously asserted.

Related story: Texas Blocks Detained Undocumented Woman's Abortion Access

But on Wednesday morning, the abortion took place after a federal appeals court ruled in the young woman's favor the day before. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was instrumental in helping the young woman undergo the procedure.

The young immigrant at the center of the controversy issued a statement via the ACLU: "People I don't even know are trying to change my mind. I made my decision, and that is between me and God. Through all this, I have never changed my mind."

But to Paxton's mind, the procedure never should have taken place. He issued his own statement in reaction to the development expressing his "profound disappointment" at the ultimate ruling allowing the woman to undergo the procecure: “Today’s loss of innocent human life is tragic, and it may have been avoidable," Paxton said. "The ruling that paved the way for the abortion violated long-standing Supreme Court precedent on the rights of an unlawfully present person."

Republican politicians in Texas adhere strongly to the conservative ideal of right to life — often peppering their social media messages promoting their theologically based ideal — in appealing to their base. Gov. Greg Abbott is the most prominent member of the GOP in Texas not shy in using this tactic, often inserting biblical passages in his tweets and other social media accounts.

But some critics point to the inherent contradiction of embracing the sanctity of life for the unborn while expressing condemnation of undocumented life often housed in detention facilities some describe as nothing more than jails. Married to a woman who is herself a child of Mexican immigrants, Abbott has made a priority of rooting out undocumented immigrants in his state — aggressively championing passage of Senate Bill 4 that codifies this pursuit while formalizing a schedule of fines and even jail time to law enforcement officials at the local level deemed to be non-cooperative with federal immigration officials in detaining undocumented immigrants.

But while immigrant life may be viewed as less than sacred, the rights of the unborn are a hallmark ideal of Texas conservatives. Even after the undocumented woman being detained finally had the abortion she sought Wednesday morning, Paxton continued to insist the action could lead to en masse abortions by an immigrant class: "This ruling not only cost a life, it could pave the way for anyone outside the United States to unlawfully enter and obtain an abortion," he said in his statement. "Life and the Constitution are sacred. We lost some of both today.”

Paxton had recruited like-minded counterparts in several other states in filing an emergency amicus brief to try to influence the final ruling. Amicus briefs are legal documents filed in appellate court cases by non-litigants with a strong interest in the subject matter, meant to advise the court of relevant, additional information or arguments the court might wish to consider.

Although Paxton names the woman in his ultimately failed amicus brief, she has been generally referred to as "Jane Doe" to protect her privacy. The native of Central America entered the U.S. without a guardian before being held a detention center in Brownsville, Texas, that many critics have described as being tantamount to a jail. The young woman is in the official custody of the Department of Health and Human Services.

>>> Photo of Ken Paxton via State of Texas