Although her baby will likely be stillborn or live only a few days, the Texas Supreme Court has now banned a pregnant woman from having an abortion. This suspended a court’s decision that had allowed abortion.
Texas’s arch-conservative attorney general, Kevin Paxton, went to court. 31-year-old Kate Cox is 20 weeks pregnant and learned last week that her fetus has the chromosomal condition trisomy 18. “All her doctors have told her that her baby will be stillborn or live only minutes, hours or days,” said Cox’s attorney Molly Duane of the nongovernmental organization Center for Reproductive Rights. Pregnancy is also a major health risk for the expectant mother herself: the mother of two children will probably not be able to have children later due to the pregnancy.
“While we still hope that the court ultimately denies the motion, and does so quickly, in this case we fear that justice delayed is also justice denied,” Duane said. In this case, it concerns urgent medical care that people do not have to beg for in court.
Doctors: specifications not clear
Texas has had a nationwide right to abortion since 1973, but this was overturned by the US Supreme Court in June 2022. At that time, many American states had introduced very strict abortion bans. It prohibits abortion, even in cases of incest and rape. They are allowed only when the life and health of the pregnant woman are in danger.
However, doctors complain that the requirements are not clear. They fear high penalties if they perform an abortion that is not covered by the law. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, Kate Cox is believed to be the first woman in the United States to request an emergency abortion in court.
Abortion rights are one of the most controversial sociopolitical issues in the United States. The case is reminiscent of a 37-year-old in Poland who died during pregnancy. One in two fetuses died in the womb and removal was not approved in the country where abortion was almost completely banned. It was not the first time that a pregnant woman in Poland died because she was denied an abortion despite complications.
In Austria, abortions in the first three months of pregnancy are not punishable without giving reasons, but if there are health risks, an abortion is still possible later.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
