It’s Time For Scott Lloyd to Be Fired
For Immediate Release: March 1, 2018
VICE News Breaks News of Scandalous Statements From HHS Official On Young Undocumented Women in His Agency’s Custody
Washington D.C. - On Wednesday evening, VICE broke the story of Office of Refugee Resettlement Director Scott Lloyd’s deposition. The deposition reveals that he and other HHS officials have vastly overstepped their position of authority, violating young women’s privacy, right to medical care, and, in some cases, safety in order to keep them from accessing safe, legal abortion even when the young women were desperate to do so.
- Receives a weekly spreadsheet containing information on every pregnant woman in ORR’s custody, tracking the fetus’s gestational age and whether the woman has asked for an abortion.
- Traveled to personally meet with young, pregnant women in ORR detention facilities to coerce them out of exercising their constitutional right to safe, legal abortion.
- Stated that even if a young, pregnant woman’s life was in danger he might not allow her to access an abortion.
- Denied seven young, immigrant women’s requests for abortion — even when the pregnancy resulted from rape in violation of federal law.
- Disobeyed court orders to not tell a young woman’s parents about her decision to obtain an abortion — putting her safety at risk.
- Ordered that all pregnant women in the department's custody be given “life-affirming options counseling”.
- Asked officials to look into “reversing” a medication abortion that was already underway — despite the fact that the young woman did not want them to, and that there is no credible evidence that abortion ‘reversal’ works or is a safe procedure.
Planned Parenthood calls on the immediate removal of Scott Lloyd as director of the ORR.
Statement from Dana Singiser, Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs, Planned Parenthood Federation of America:
It is time for Secretary Azar to fire Scott Lloyd, and reverse HHS’s unconstitutional policy. All women should have control over their own bodies, health and lives, including access to abortion, regardless of their immigration status, and HHS policies must reflect that.
“Scott Lloyd is actively endangering the health and lives of the young women in his custody. How many more women will Lloyd endanger before Secretary Azar decides enough is enough? It is an abuse of power for Scott Lloyd to force his personal anti-abortion views on young women and violate their constitutional rights.
“The video deposition released by VICE exposes a creepy level of personal intrusion by Scott Lloyd on the pregnancy status of the young women under his care -- including a weekly report monitoring their pregnancies — all with the intent of blocking them from their constitutional right to access safe legal abortion. These young women need support and care, not a government official personally monitoring their pregnancies and intervening in their personal medical decisions.
“Lloyd may think that, as undocumented immigrants, these women are not entitled to basic rights or control over their own bodies — but that’s not what the law says.
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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.