A woman who was blocked by a court from having an emergency abortion has fled Texas to get “healthcare” outside the state instead, campaigners say.
Kate Cox, 31, has been at the center of a legal battle ever since she sought court approval for the procedure after her fetus was diagnosed with trisomy 18, a rare genetic abnormality which meant it was unlikely to survive.
Doctors said the mother-of-two’s health and future fertility would also be at risk if her pregnancy continued.
Ms Cox was around 20 weeks pregnant when a lower court in Texas – which has a near complete ban on abortion – ruled she could go ahead with the emergency procedure earlier this month.
Judges also said her doctor would not be prosecuted or fined for carrying it out.
However, the Texas Supreme Court then temporarily halted the decision after the state’s Republican attorney general Ken Paxton requested the block.
The court is yet to issue a final ruling despite the time-sensitive nature of Ms Cox’s request.
But on Monday US campaign group the Center for Reproductive Rights said she could wait no longer and had now left the state “to get healthcare outside of the state”.
The group’s chief executive Nancy Northup said: “This past week of legal limbo has been hellish for Kate.
“Her health is on the line. She’s been in and out of the emergency room and she couldn’t wait any longer.
“This is why judges and politicians should not be making healthcare decisions for pregnant people – they are not doctors.”
