A Texas woman who was compelled to leave the state for an emergency abortion is encouraging other voters to support Vice-President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, and will promote her at the party's national convention next week.
After the state of Texas refused Kate Cox the right to an abortion in December, she had to travel to New Mexico to undergo the procedure, having discovered that her baby had a life-threatening genetic condition. Her doctor cautioned that if she continued the pregnancy, she might be unable to have other children. The 32-year-old Dallas mother of two is now five months pregnant with a healthy baby boy. “I’m pregnant today because I had access to abortion care,” she said in an interview at her Dallas home, fighting back tears as she discussed her decision.
Cox's legal battle for an abortion in Texas thrust her into the political spotlight two years after the US Supreme Court abolished the nationwide right to the procedure. Many U.S. states enacted restrictive abortion laws following the court's overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established abortion as a constitutional right. Democrats view access to abortion as a pivotal issue in the November election, and Harris has made it a cornerstone of her campaign. Republican rival former President Donald Trump has stated that abortion laws should be determined by individual U.S. states and has refrained from advocating for a national abortion ban that could have jeopardized his appeal to swing voters.
The Harris campaign extended an invitation to Cox to speak at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. “We will vote as if our lives depend on it because for many, they do,” said Cox. Anti-abortion groups such as the Texas Alliance for Life opposed Cox's abortion, asserting that every life has value, irrespective of a life-limiting or fatal diagnosis. They advocate for support and resources for families confronting such challenging diagnoses.
Cox's quest for a Texas abortion commenced after she and her husband discovered in August 2023 that she was pregnant with a third child, whom they named Chloe Jones Cox. The baby tested positive for Trisomy 18, a chromosomal abnormality characterized by severe cognitive disability and issues affecting nearly every organ system of the body. Babies with this disorder typically do not survive beyond their first year, according to Boston Children’s Hospital. Cox’s doctor and gynecologist Damla Karsan stated that the standard practice has been to offer abortions to patients who receive this diagnosis.
Cox’s previous two deliveries were via Cesarean section. If she had given birth to the baby, a third C-section would have been required. To have another child would necessitate a fourth C-section, carrying significant health risks, Karsan explained. Cox filed a lawsuit against the state of Texas in December to secure an abortion as a medical exemption under Texas law that largely prohibits abortions. Although a district court judge ruled in her favor, the Texas Supreme Court reversed the decision.
