Kate Cox, the woman who sued Texas to get an abortion after her fetus with diagnosed with a medical condition incompatible with life, has fled the state to get an abortion, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights.
Last Thursday a Texas district court granted Cox permission to get an abortion despite Texas banning the procedure after 6 weeks of pregnancy after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. But the state Supreme Court temporarily paused the lower court ruling the next day.
The court didn’t issue a final ruling and Cox, 31, was running out of time.
“After a week of legal whiplash and threats of prosecution from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, our client Kate Cox has been forced to flee her home state of Texas to get the time-sensitive abortion care needed to protect her health and future fertility,” the Center for Reproductive Rights said in a statement on X.
“This past week of legal limbo has been hellish for Kate. Her health is on the line,” Nancy Northup, president of the Center for the Reproductive Rights, who is representing Cox said. “She’s been in and out of the emergency room and she couldn’t wait any longer. This is why judges and politicians should not be making healthcare decisions for pregnant people.”
“This is the result of the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade: women are forced to beg for urgent healthcare in court. Kate’s case has shown the world that abortion bans are dangerous for pregnant people, and exceptions don’t work,” Northup added.
Cox’s 20-week fetus is diagnosed with trisomy 18, 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.
