Texas Supreme Court Prohibits Emergency Abortion
The Texas Supreme Court has prohibited a previously court-approved emergency abortion for a woman. The fetus has a severe chromosomal disorder, which also poses a danger to the pregnant woman.
In a high-profile case, the Supreme Court of the US state of Texas temporarily prohibited an abortion for a pregnant woman. According to US media reports, the court suspended a decision of the lower court on Friday evening, which had allowed 31-year-old Kate Cox to have an abortion due to health risks. Conservative Attorney General of Texas, Ken Paxton, brought the case to the Supreme Court to prevent the abortion.
Cox, who is 20 weeks pregnant, learned last week that her fetus has the chromosomal disorder Trisomy 18. “All her doctors have told her that her baby will be stillborn or will only live for minutes, hours, or days,” Cox’s lawyer Molly Duane said during the online emergency hearing in the lower court. The pregnancy also poses significant health risks to Cox and affects her prospects of having more children as a mother of two.
Strict abortion laws since 2022
After the US Supreme Court overturned the nationwide constitutional right to abortion in 1973 in June 2022, Texas – like many other conservative states – enacted very strict abortion laws.
It prohibits abortions even in cases of incest and rape and only allows them when the life and health of the woman are at risk. However, doctors argue that the guidelines are not clear-cut. They fear severe penalties if they perform an abortion that is not covered by the law.
Abortion had previously been allowed
According to the non-governmental organization Center for Reproductive Rights, Kate Cox was believed to be the first woman in the US since the – now overturned – nationwide legalization of abortions in 1973 to seek an emergency abortion in court. Judge Maya Guerra Gamble granted the urgent request of the 31-year-old from Dallas on Thursday. However, the Texas Supreme Court has now suspended this decision until further notice.
Abortion rights are one of the most controversial sociopolitical issues in the US. The Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2022 caused a political earthquake. In their highly contentious decision, the justices overturned the landmark ruling of Roe v. Wade from 1973, which had established a nationwide constitutional right to abortion.