Texas Supreme Court temporarily blocks abortion for critically ill fetus
In a dramatic legal move, the Texas Supreme Court has put on hold a judge’s order allowing an abortion for a pregnant woman whose fetus has a critical and likely life-threatening diagnosis. The case has sent shockwaves through the state as its abortion ban is being tested for the first time.
The case involves Kate Cox, a 31-year-old mother of two from the Dallas area, who received a temporary restraining order from a lower court judge against the state’s ban, allowing her to seek an abortion. However, the Texas Supreme Court Friday issued a temporary stay, and the case is pending. Cox’s attorneys, the Center for Reproductive Rights, acknowledged that they fear justice will be denied if the court delays handling the case quickly.
The lawsuit filed by Cox is believed to be the first of its kind since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year to overturn Roe v. Wade. She was told her baby was at a high risk for a condition with a very high likelihood of miscarriage or stillbirth.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has argued that Cox does not meet the criteria for a medical exception to the state’s abortion ban and has urged the state’s highest court to act quickly. He also warned hospitals in Houston that they could face legal consequences if they allowed Cox’s physician to provide the abortion.
Meanwhile, in Kentucky, a pregnant woman has also filed a lawsuit demanding the right to an abortion, seeking to have the state’s ban overturned. Unlike Cox’s lawsuit, the Kentucky challenge seeks class-action status to include other women in the state who are or will become pregnant and want to have an abortion.
The lawsuit has reignited the debate over abortion rights in the U.S. and is being closely watched by advocates on both sides of the issue.
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