Current:Home > StocksKate Cox can't get abortion for now, Texas Supreme Court court says, halting judge's OK-InfoLens
Kate Cox can't get abortion for now, Texas Supreme Court court says, halting judge's OK
View Date:2024-12-23 16:13:16
The Texas Supreme Court has paused a judge's decision that would have allowed a woman to terminate a pregnancy in which her fetus has a fatal diagnosis.
The judge's order in question was issued just days ago and blocked the state from enforcing its strict abortion ban in the case of Kate Cox, a Dallas woman. The justices now say they intend to consider Attorney General Ken Paxton's petition, filed late Thursday night, to reverse the Travis County court's decision.
In his petition, Paxton argued the state would suffer an "irreparable loss" should Cox terminate her pregnancy.
"Because the life of an unborn child is at stake, the Court should require a faithful application of Texas statutes prior to determining that an abortion is permitted," Paxton's request reads.
Kentucky banWoman sues state over near-total abortion ban
Cox's attorney, Molly Duane, said the temporary hold keeps Cox from accessing urgently needed medical care.
Previously:Texas AG Ken Paxton files petition to block Kate Cox abortion, despite fatal fetal diagnosis
“While we still hope that the Court ultimately rejects the state’s request and does so quickly, in this case we fear that justice delayed will be justice denied,” Duane, senior staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement Friday night.
Cox was 20 weeks and three days pregnant as of Friday afternoon, according to her attorneys' response to Paxton's appeal. The attorney general's petition could have been deemed moot if Cox had obtained the abortion while the restraining order was still in effect, but that would have depended on interpretation, said Seema Mohapatra, a Southern Methodist University professor of health law.
Paxton's appeal could allow him to test his arguments against the restraining order when the Supreme Court takes up his petition. Those arguments were central to an advisory letter he sent Thursday to three Houston hospitals where Cox’s OB-GYN holds privileges, claiming that the judge's temporary restraining order would not shield the plaintiffs or the hospitals from criminal charges or fines.
More:Biden administration asks Supreme Court to keep abortion access in red-state emergency rooms
Cox's fetus has trisomy 18, a deadly genetic condition. The Dallas-area mother has been admitted to emergency rooms four times in the past month – including one visit since the case was filed – after experiencing severe cramping and fluid leaks, attorney Molly Duane told the court Thursday.
Several doctors have advised Cox that there is "virtually no chance" her baby will survive and that carrying the pregnancy to term would make it less likely that she will be able to carry another child in the future, according to the complaint.
In an interview with "NBC Nightly News" on Thursday, Cox said she was "hopeful" about the court's decision in her favor but that her family will be grieving over their unborn child's fatal diagnosis regardless.
"Even with being hopeful with the decision that came from the hearing (on Thursday), there’s still – we’re going through the loss of a child," Cox said. "There’s no outcome here that I take home my healthy baby girl. So it’s hard."
Contributing: Serena Lin.
veryGood! (9621)
Related
- Beyoncé's Grammy nominations in country categories aren't the first to blur genre lines
- Shooting kills 2 and wounds 2 in Oakland, California
- RFK Jr. wants the U.S. Treasury to buy $4M worth of Bitcoin. Here's why it might be a good idea.
- Minnesota Vikings bolster depleted secondary, sign veteran corner Stephon Gilmore
- Kraft Heinz stops serving school-designed Lunchables because of low demand
- DNA search prompts arrest of Idaho murder suspect in 51-year-old cold case, California police say
- Little League World Series: Updates, highlights from Saturday elimination games
- Songwriter-producer The-Dream seeks dismissal of sexual assault lawsuit
- Over 1.4 million Honda, Acura vehicles subject of US probe over potential engine failure
- General Hospital's Cameron Mathison Shares Insight Into Next Chapter After Breakup With Wife Vanessa
Ranking
- 'Heretic' spoilers! Hugh Grant spills on his horror villain's fears and fate
- What is a blue moon? Here's what one is and what the stars have to say about it.
- Ionescu, Stewart, Jones lead Liberty over Aces 79-67, becoming first team to clinch playoff berth
- Former DC employee convicted of manslaughter in fatal shooting of 13-year-old boy
- Opinion: NFL began season with no Black offensive coordinators, first time since the 1980s
- When does 'Emily in Paris' Season 4 Part 2 come out? Release date, how to watch new episodes
- A hunter’s graveyard shift: grabbing pythons in the Everglades
- Watch Taylor Swift perform 'London Boy' Oy! in Wembley Stadium
Recommendation
-
NFL Week 10 winners, losers: Cowboys' season can no longer be saved
-
Shooting kills 2 and wounds 2 in Oakland, California
-
A Complete Guide to the It Ends With Us Drama and Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni Feud Rumors
-
Save Big at Banana Republic Factory With $12 Tanks, $25 Shorts & $35 Dresses, Plus up to 60% off Sitewide
-
Guns smuggled from the US are blamed for a surge in killings on more Caribbean islands
-
Benefit Cosmetics Just Dropped Its 2024 Holiday Beauty Advent Calendar, Filled with Bestselling Favorites
-
The Daily Money: Does a Disney+ subscription mean you can't sue Disney?
-
Nordstrom Rack's Top 100 Deals: Save Nearly $550 on These Boots & Up to 68% Off Cole Haan, Hunter & More