Texas forces pregnant woman to leave the country for abortion
A 31-year-old woman from Texas has to leave the state to have an abortion. The extremely risky pregnancy, which also has an impact on her health, keeps the courts busy for days. After prior permission, this is withdrawn again.
A woman in the US state of Texas, who had filed a lawsuit against the abortion ban there, left the country to have an abortion, according to her lawyers. Although the child has no chance of survival and continuing the pregnancy would threaten the woman's health, 31-year-old Kate Cox cannot have an abortion in Texas, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represented the pregnant woman in court.
Cox had filed a lawsuit against the restrictive abortion law in Texas and was initially upheld in an Austin court last week. However, the state's Supreme Court overturned the decision on Monday.
No one disputes that this was an "extremely complicated" pregnancy, the ruling stated. "Any parent would be devastated to learn of the diagnosis of trisomy 18 in their unborn child". However, the treating doctor had not clearly proven to the court that this was a risky pregnancy that met the requirements for an exception to the extensive abortion ban in Texas.
"A situation like this could mean a death sentence"
The legal limbo over the past week has been "hell" for Cox, said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights. She had been to the emergency room several times and could no longer wait to leave the country. "That's why judges and politicians shouldn't be making decisions about pregnant women's health care - they're not doctors," Northup said. The 31-year-old was able to leave the state. However, other women do not have this option, "and a situation like this could be a death sentence".
A year and a half ago, the US Supreme Court overturned the right to abortion that had been in force in the country since 1973. The states now have sovereignty over legislation - a legal patchwork has been created. In the Republican-ruled state of Texas, the regulations are particularly strict. Abortion is prohibited in almost all cases - unless the mother's life is in danger. However, critics argue that the exceptions are so vaguely worded that doctors often do not perform abortions for fear of being sued.
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Source: www.ntv.de
