Texas Republican senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz refused to answer questions from reporters about Kate Cox’s abortion case.
Cox was forced to flee Texas to get lifesaving abortion care for a non-viable and life-threatening fetus.
Both Cornyn and Cruz, staunch pro-lifers, refused to comment on the case when contacted multiple times by NBC News.
Cornyn, who served on the Texas Supreme Court, said it is not his place to comment on actions taken by state officials.
“I’m not a state official, so I’m not going to comment on what state officials are doing. I’m happy to comment on anything that I’m responsible for,” Cornyn said.
According to NBC News, they asked Cornyn FIVE times if he supports the state’s actions and he doubled down on his original answer.
Meanwhile, Cruz, who called the Texas abortion ban “a massive victory” last year, had nothing to say Tuesday when asked for comment. Cruz directed reporters to his press office instead which also didn’t offer a comment on the case, THREE times.
Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) Cruz’s opponent in next year’s Senate race slammed the incumbent senator for refusing to comment.
“This is the outcome of years of extremists’ pushing for us to be in this position where we are now, where abortion is banned in effectively all cases,” Allred said. “It’s outrageous. And we have to address it at the national level by codifying Roe v. Wade, which is what I’ll do in the Senate, versus Ted Cruz, who wants a national ban.”
Last week, a district court granted Cox a temporary restraining order to get an abortion after her 20 week old fetus was diagnosed with Trisomy 18. It is a chromosomal disorder which usually results in either stillbirth or an early death of an infant.
In her lawsuit, Cox said her doctors told her she would need to undergo a third cesarean section if she carry the non-viable fetus to term. This would put her at increased risk of “severe complications” that threaten “her life and future fertility.” Her doctors also told her that if labor is induced she could face severe complications including a uterine rupture.
Texas bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy with limited exceptions for medical emergencies. Hours after the district court’s ruling the Texas Supreme Court temporarily paused the order.
On Monday, the state’s high court directed the lower court to vacate its order.
“A woman who meets the medical-necessity exception need not seek a court order to obtain an abortion,” the court wrote. “The law leaves to physicians — not judges — both the discretion and the responsibility to exercise their reasonable medical judgment, given the unique facts and circumstances of each patient.”
The ruling came after Cox’s attorney released a statement saying she decided to leave Texas to get an abortion.
