Just before the nation’s Fourth of July birthday weekend, where many celebrated the “unalienable right” to “life,” a Florida minor gave birth to a healthy baby girl after narrowly avoiding a coerced, out-of-state abortion last fall. Even though the pregnant teen and her teen boyfriend wanted to choose life for their unborn child after discovering she was pregnant, a family member made arrangements to take her against her will to Illinois for an abortion to evade Florida’s six-week “heartbeat” law. Due to the teen’s courage and Liberty Counsel’s rapid response to her cry for help in November 2025, those plans were cancelled and the baby girl, nearly eight pounds, was born in a smooth delivery right before the holiday. 

On a late Friday afternoon in November, the boyfriend sought Liberty Counsel’s help to prevent the family member from coercing an out-of-state abortion scheduled to happen that Monday in Chicago. Within 24 hours, Liberty Counsel intervened with a demand letter to the pregnant girl’s family members confronting their attempt to coerce an abortion against her will. The letter, sent in coordination with the Florida Attorney General’s Office, informed family members that it is “illegal in every state” to coerce an abortion and that the girl’s own parental rights for her unborn child were superior to theirs.

As a result of the letter, one family member of the girl promptly emailed a screen shot of cancelled travel arrangements to Illinois that would have amounted to forced abortion trafficking. 

In the letter, Liberty Counsel noted that the Federal Unborn Victims of Violence Act makes it a federal crime, in certain circumstances, for anyone to kill a baby in the womb against the mother’s wishes. Any third party, including a relative, who causes a baby to be killed in the womb may be guilty of “fetal homicide,” the letter reads. While parents still have the legal duty to protect, provide for, and care for pregnant minor daughters, a minor girl has the legal right to choose life, and direct the care and upbringing of the child in her womb.

“That right is hers – not anyone else’s,” wrote Liberty Counsel.

When Liberty Counsel received confirmation that the coercive abortion plans were cancelled, it was revealed that the flights, hotels, and Lyft rides for the abortion appointment were being paid for by the Chicago Abortion Fund (CAF), even after the teen told CAF’s partner Florida abortion clinic she was being forced to get an abortion against her will.

CAF claims it is the “largest abortion fund” in the United States, and offers financial “support” to those “facing barriers” to an abortion, including covering travel and logistical expenses out of pro-life states with strong protections for unborn life. Data from the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute shows that 25 percent of women (one out of four) travelling across state lines for an abortion go to Illinois. CAF notes that it has spent more than $20 million on abortion appointment travel and costs since the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturned Roe v. Wade. CAF relies on financial support from the City of Chicago, Cook County, the state of Illinois, as well as from fundraisers and donations. In August 2025, Cook County earmarked a $2 million grant for CAF.

Yet, research shows that abortion funding organizations like CAF and abortion facilities enable coerced abortions. A 2023 study published in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science, which surveyed 1000 women who had abortions, found that 24 percent of the women reported that their abortions were coerced, unwanted, and inconsistent with their values. As for Liberty Counsel’s teen client, CAF’s partner Florida abortion clinic still pushed and attempted to manipulate her into an abortion even after she informed the staff she was being coerced against her will. The Florida clinic tried to hide from her the ultrasound pictures by putting them in an envelope to be thrown away and noted, “If you see it, you’re going to want to keep it.” Yet, Florida law requires that pregnant women be afforded the opportunity to see ultrasound photos and video. The clinic forged ahead engaging its “partners,” the CAF and a facility in Chicago, to arrange and pay for the abortion travel and logistics even though the pregnant teen told the clinic she was being coerced by a family member and didn’t want an abortion.

Liberty Counsel’s Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “Right before the July 4, 2026, weekend, Liberty Counsel’s teen client gave birth to her beautiful daughter. We celebrate this baby girl who has the unalienable right to life, and we commend this baby’s young parents who courageously chose life amidst intense pressure to kill the unborn baby. Regardless of the circumstances, a pregnant minor possesses the same constitutional rights as any mother to care for her unborn child. Liberty Counsel’s rapid response saved an unborn life that was days away from being killed, and foiled the Chicago Abortion Fund from aiding and paying for a coerced out-of-state abortion meant to evade Florida’s pro-life laws. Coercing minor girls across state lines against their wishes into forced abortions is illegal and reprehensible. Death trafficking has no place in society.”