Austin: Texas judge allows pregnant woman to have abortion in landmark case

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A Texas court allowed a pregnant woman to have an abortion in a widely followed case, sparking an angry reaction from the conservatively run US state’s attorney general. Judge Maya Guerra Gamble ruled Thursday that 31-year-old Kate Cox should be allowed to have an abortion because of the risks to her health.

The woman, who is 20 weeks pregnant, learned last week that her fetus had trisomy 18 chromosome disorder. “All of her doctors told her that her baby would be stillborn or would only live for minutes, hours or days,” Cox’s attorney, Molly Duane, told the court during an emergency online hearing. she said. Pregnancy also poses major health risks for Cox and the mother of two’s chances of having more children.

After the nationwide fundamental right to abortion, which had been in place since 1973, was struck down by the US Supreme Court in June 2022, Texas, like many other conservative states, passed a very strict abortion law. Abortion is prohibited even in cases of incest and rape and is allowed only if the woman’s life and health are in danger.

“A shocking and real miscarriage of justice

But doctors complain that the rules are unclear. They fear high penalties if they have an abortion that is not covered by the law. Kate Cox was likely the first woman in the United States to seek an emergency abortion in court after abortion was legalized nationwide in 1973, according to the nonprofit Center for Reproductive Rights.

Judge Gamble granted the emergency request from the 31-year-old from Dallas. “The idea that Ms Cox desperately wanted to be a mother and that this law could result in her losing her ability to become a mother is shocking and would be a real miscarriage of justice,” the judge said on Thursday. said.

Chief Public Prosecutor threatened hospitals and doctors

Texas’ chief conservative Attorney General Ken Paxton lashed out at Gamble for his decision, accusing him of acting like an “activist.” He threatened that the court ruling would not protect hospitals and doctors from civil and criminal consequences for violating Texas abortion law.

Abortion rights are one of the most controversial sociopolitical issues in the United States. The Supreme Court’s decision in June 2022 triggered a political earthquake. The constitutional justices’ highly controversial decision was based on the pivotal decision Roe v. Wade repealed the 1973 law that guaranteed the right to abortion nationwide.

(AFP)

Source :Blick