Photo: The Center for Reproductive Rights
A Texas woman embroiled in a court battle over her request to have an abortion is leaving the state to undergo the procedure. Kate Cox filed a lawsuit asking the courts to allow her to terminate her pregnancy because her unborn baby was diagnosed with trisomy 18, a potentially fatal condition that almost always results in the child dying shortly after birth.
The condition can also endanger the life of the mother and prevent her from getting pregnant in the future. To protect her health and fertility, Cox sued the state, asking for an exception to the abortion ban.
While a district judge granted her request, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was granted an emergency stay by the Texas Supreme Court to halt the procedure.
"This past week of legal limbo has been hellish for Kate," Nancy Northup, president and CEO at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement. "Her health is on the line. She's been in and out of the emergency room, and she couldn't wait any longer."