Texas supreme court overturns ruling on pregnant woman seeking abortion after she leaves state

The Texas Supreme Court, on Monday (Dec 11) reversed a lower court’s ruling that allowed Kate Cox, a 31-year-oldwoman,to havean abortion under the state's "medical emergency". The recent ruling came hours after she was forced to leave the state for an emergency abortion.

A court filing by her lawyers saidthat Cox was prevented from terminating her potentially life-threatening pregnancy.

Last week, a Texas judge allowed her to have an abortion, a decision that challenged the US state's strict laws prohibiting the procedure. But the Texas Supreme Court had temporarily halted the decisionlate Friday.

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TheCenter for Reproductive Rights, which represents Cox said that she hasleft the state to get health care elsewhere, but hours later the state's apex court ruled against her.

Cox hails from Dallas-Fort Worth andis a mother of two. She is more than 20 weeks pregnant with a fetus that has a rare genetic defect, which means it will likely die before birth or at most live a few days.

Ultrasounds revealed many serious conditions, including a twisted spine and irregular skull and heart development. Doctors have said that unless the pregnancy is terminated, it could cause a uterine rupture that threatens Cox's life and future fertility.

She sued the state to have an abortion for a pregnancy that she and her physicians claim endangers not only her life but also her future fertility. As mentioned, she initially won a right to an abortion but the state's Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed to the Texas Supreme Court.

The appeal has blocked the lower court's order, with Paxton threatening to prosecute any doctor carrying out the abortion.

The new filing stated: "Due to the ongoing deterioration of Ms. Cox's health condition, and in light of the administrative stay entered by the Court on December 8 and the Attorney General's ongoing threats to enforce Texas's abortion bans against the Plaintiffs in this case, Ms. Cox is now forced to seek medical care outside of Texas."

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Abortion laws in Texas

Texas has some of the strictest abortion laws in the nation, prohibiting it even in cases of rape or incest. While the state's law does allow abortions in cases where the mother's life is in danger, physicians have said that in practice the wording is vague and unclear, leaving them open to legal consequences for exercising their medical judgment.

(With inputs from agencies)