US official says rape and abortion both forms of violence

HOUSTON (AP) — The government official in charge of the agency that shelters unaccompanied immigrant children says in a newly released document that abortion and rape are both forms of "violence."

Scott Lloyd heads the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which faces an ongoing lawsuit over its refusal to allow teens in its care to have abortions.

A court document today includes a memo in which Lloyd explains why he would not approve a teen's request for an abortion.

Lloyd writes that agency staff believed the teen in question had been raped. But he argues allowing an abortion implies that "it is possible to cure violence with further violence."

A federal judge Monday ordered the government to allow two teens in its care to have abortions.