L'ÉPOQUE - In response to an urgent appeal made by Attorney General Ken Paxton, the court has temporarily halted a lower court's ruling that permitted an abortion for Kate Cox, a woman whose unborn child is facing a life-threatening condition. In an urgent development, the Texas Supreme Court has temporarily halted a lower court's decision that would have allowed a Dallas woman to proceed with her abortion despite the state's strict bans. This comes after she discovered that her fetus has a fatal condition.
12.09.2023 © L'ÉPOQUE USA
By Robert Chapman
Attorney General Ken Paxton of Texas, who opposed the woman's abortion, filed an appeal which prompted the state court to intervene. The Supreme Court clarified that it had issued an administrative stay in response to this appeal without considering the merits of either side's arguments. The purpose is to grant more time for a final ruling on this matter. As a result of this stay, the judge's order from Travis County district court granting permission for Kate Cox to obtain an abortion and ensuring protection for her doctor against legal consequences under Texas' overlapping abortion bans is currently suspended.
Molly Duane, a senior staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights representing Ms. Cox, expressed deep concern that if justice is delayed, it will ultimately be denied. The recent move by the Texas Supreme Court has added another unexpected turn to an already extraordinary series of events surrounding the state's stringent abortion bans and their ambiguous medical exceptions.
In his urgent plea to the court, Mr. Paxton emphasized that allowing an abortion would result in irreversible loss of life for the unborn child - a tragedy beyond repair.
The Texas bans, although they provide exceptions to safeguard the well-being and survival of pregnant women, have instilled fear among doctors due to ambiguous legal wording. This fear has resulted in a reluctance to carry out abortions for fear of facing prosecution. Mr. Paxton swiftly submitted his legal documents following the issuance of a temporary restraining order by a district court judge, which prohibited him and others from implementing Texas' intersecting abortion prohibitions on Dr. Damla Karsan, Ms. Cox's physician, or any individual aiding her in performing an abortion for Ms. Cox.
