Being young is already hard enough as it is. There is so much to learn and so many obstacles that one must go through in order to grow into the person they wish to be. 

One fight in life that no one should have to go through is the fight to make the personal choice of aborting an unwanted pregnancy. In the state of Texas, an undocumented teenage girl is being put through hell in order to maintain her safety.

Jane Doe, as the world now knows her, is just a 17-year-old girl who entered the state illegally and soon found out she was pregnant. She wanted a better future for herself, but instead wound up getting detained for being illegal. No family, no friends- nobody. Jane Doe is completely alone in this world, and at such a tender age. 

Being detained is the least of her problems. In the state of Texas, after 20 weeks, you cannot abort an unwanted pregnancy, and she must now go through the legal system to obtain her right to an abortion as an undocumented child.

“This is my life, my decision. I want a better future. I want justice,” she said according to Vox. Yet justice is not what she is receiving. Instead, she is being held accountable for her actions and being placed in front of court after court to simply obtain a procedure that is her choice and hers alone.     

Which begs the question; had she been an upstanding citizen, who is legal in the state of Texas, would this even be an issue? Probably not. She could have had her abortion later that day if she wanted to, but Jane Doe is not a perfect model youth. Instead, she is reality. She is brave. She is Jane Doe.

According to the Washington Post, “The court’s 2-1 decision allows the Trump administration to maintain its policy of not facilitating abortions for the undocumented minors in its custody.” 

In plainer terms, the court stated that Jane Doe will remain under the custody of the state and will not be receiving an abortion for being undocumented. Yet, there is a slight problem with being undocumented and held by the state. That small loophole is what gave Jane Doe her freedom to choose. To have a better future and to obtain justice.

This loophole is that Jane Doe needed a sponsor and since she had nobody with her when she came into the states, there was no time for her to obtain one. On Tuesday, according to the New York Times, “a federal appeals court in Washington sided with the girl, sending the case back to a lower court, which immediately ordered the Trump administration to allow the girl to obtain an abortion ‘promptly and without delay.’”

While everyone rejoiced in the matter that Jane Doe had won the case against the Trump Administration, it was not forgotten. Jane Doe still remains in custody and will be given her right to choose to have an abortion, but this case has now set up a new parameter for the world. 

Just like Jane Roe had done in Roe v. Wade with discussing the matters of abortion. Jane Doe has discussed the matters of being an illegal immigrant and abortion.

So whether you are undocumented, or raised in the smallest of towns; whether you are young or old; whether you are the fairest of them all or radiating with gorgeous pigmentation, you are Jane Doe. We are Jane Doe. I am Jane Doe.