AUSTIN, Texas (NEWSnet/AP) — A pregnant Texas woman who sought court permission for an abortion amid one of the most restrictive bans in the U.S. has left the state to obtain the procedure, her attorneys said Monday.
“Her health is on the line. She’s been in and out of the emergency room and she couldn’t wait any longer,” said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which was representing Kate Cox.
The organization did not disclose where the woman went.
The announcement came as Cox, 31, was awaiting a ruling from the Texas Supreme Court over whether she could legally obtain an abortion under narrow exceptions to the state’s ban.
A judge gave Cox permission last week; but that decision was put on hold by the state’s all-Republican high court.
Cox was believed to be the first woman in the U.S. to formally ask a court for permission for an abortion under laws that have been passed since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. Texas and about a dozen other states now have rules where abortion is prohibited at nearly all stages of pregnancy.
Doctors have told Cox that her fetus is at a high risk for a condition known as trisomy 18, which has a very high likelihood of miscarriage or stillbirth, and low survival rates, according to the lawsuit.
They also told Cox that inducing labor or carrying the baby to term could jeopardize her ability to have another child in the future.
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