'Outrageous': Biden on woman forced to leave Texas for abortion
US Vice President Joe Biden called it "outrageous" that a woman was forced to flee texas to seek an emergency abortion after the state's courts ruled she couldn't terminate her dangerous pregnancy. "No woman should be forced to go to court or flee her home state just to get the necessary health care." But that is exactly what occurred in texas owing to Republican elected officials, and it is just wrong," Biden said in a statement released by the White House.
Kate Cox, a 31-year-old dallas mother of two, is more than 20 weeks pregnant with a fetus with complete trisomy 18, a rare genetic condition that means the baby would most certainly die before delivery or live for only a few days.
Failure to abort the pregnancy, according to doctors, might result in a rupture of Cox's uterus, endangering her future fertility and life.
She filed a lawsuit against the state of texas last week because of the state's harsh abortion restrictions. After attorneys on both sides debated about whether Cox should be granted the treatment, a Travis County court decided in her favor.
However, the state's Attorney General, Ken Paxton, promptly filed an appeal with the texas Supreme Court. Paxton also vowed to sue any doctor who performed the abortion.
Cox fled the state on monday to seek an emergency abortion, and the texas supreme court issued an order siding with the government and overturning the lower court's ruling.
"This past week of legal limbo has been hellish for Kate," said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Centre for Reproductive Rights, which brought the action on behalf of Cox, her husband, and doctors.
Last year, the united states supreme court rejected the constitutional right to abortion nationwide, allowing states to enact their own abortion regulations.
Following the 2022 verdict, a texas state "trigger" rule went into effect, barring abortions even in circumstances of rape or incest. texas also has a provision that permits individual persons to sue anybody who performs or assists in the performance of an abortion.
If texas physician is found guilty of delivering abortions, they risk up to 99 years in jail, a $100,000 fine, and the loss of their medical license.
While the law does permit abortions in circumstances when the mother's life is in danger, physicians have stated that the wording is ambiguous and confusing in reality, leaving them exposed to legal repercussions for exercising their medical judgment.
Since last year's supreme court decision, abortion has become an even more contentious political issue in the United States.
Even in conservative areas, campaigns to entrench the right to the surgery have won, when voters are presented with the option of tight restriction.
Some politicians who formerly fought vehemently against abortion rights are now seeking to soften their stance, with 2024 presidential candidate Nikki Haley saying a recent Republican debate that a statewide abortion ban was impractical.
Kate Cox, a 31-year-old dallas mother of two, is more than 20 weeks pregnant with a fetus with complete trisomy 18, a rare genetic condition that means the baby would most certainly die before delivery or live for only a few days.
Failure to abort the pregnancy, according to doctors, might result in a rupture of Cox's uterus, endangering her future fertility and life.
She filed a lawsuit against the state of texas last week because of the state's harsh abortion restrictions. After attorneys on both sides debated about whether Cox should be granted the treatment, a Travis County court decided in her favor.
However, the state's Attorney General, Ken Paxton, promptly filed an appeal with the texas Supreme Court. Paxton also vowed to sue any doctor who performed the abortion.
Cox fled the state on monday to seek an emergency abortion, and the texas supreme court issued an order siding with the government and overturning the lower court's ruling.
"This past week of legal limbo has been hellish for Kate," said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Centre for Reproductive Rights, which brought the action on behalf of Cox, her husband, and doctors.
Last year, the united states supreme court rejected the constitutional right to abortion nationwide, allowing states to enact their own abortion regulations.
Following the 2022 verdict, a texas state "trigger" rule went into effect, barring abortions even in circumstances of rape or incest. texas also has a provision that permits individual persons to sue anybody who performs or assists in the performance of an abortion.
If texas physician is found guilty of delivering abortions, they risk up to 99 years in jail, a $100,000 fine, and the loss of their medical license.
While the law does permit abortions in circumstances when the mother's life is in danger, physicians have stated that the wording is ambiguous and confusing in reality, leaving them exposed to legal repercussions for exercising their medical judgment.
Since last year's supreme court decision, abortion has become an even more contentious political issue in the United States.
Even in conservative areas, campaigns to entrench the right to the surgery have won, when voters are presented with the option of tight restriction.
Some politicians who formerly fought vehemently against abortion rights are now seeking to soften their stance, with 2024 presidential candidate Nikki Haley saying a recent Republican debate that a statewide abortion ban was impractical.