Texas woman who left state for abortion to back Harris at convention

I’m pregnant today because I had access to abortion care, says Kate Cox

By Reuters

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Justin and Kate Cox pose with an ultrasound image of their new baby at their home, in the Dallas area, Texas, US, on August 11. The 32-year-old mother of two is now five months pregnant with a healthy baby boy. Reuters

Published: Thu 15 Aug 2024, 5:34 PM

Last updated: Thu 15 Aug 2024, 5:35 PM

A Texas woman forced to leave the state for an emergency abortion is urging other voters to back Vice-President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, and will advocate for her at the party's national convention next week.

After the state of Texas denied Kate Cox the right to an abortion in December, she had to travel to New Mexico to receive the procedure, having learned her baby had a life-threatening genetic condition.

Her doctor warned that if she carried the pregnancy she might not be able 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 talked about her decision.

Cox's legal fight for an abortion in Texas threw her into the political spotlight two years after the US Supreme Court eliminated the nationwide right to the procedure.

Many U.S. states passed restrictive abortion laws after the court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that made abortion a constitutional right.

Kate Cox, the Texas woman who had to leave the state for an abortion after being denied one last year, introduces US Vice-President Kamala Harris, at an event on reproductive rights at Ritchie Coliseum on the campus of the University of Maryland on June 24 in College Park, Maryland. AFP

Democrats see access to abortion as a winning issue in the November election and Harris has made it central to her campaign. Republican rival former President Donald Trump has said abortion laws should be set by individual US states and stopped short of a national abortion ban that could have harmed his chances with swing voters.

The Harris campaign invited Cox to speak at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

“We will vote like our lives depend on it because for so many, it does,” said Cox.

Anti-abortion groups like the Texas Alliance for Life opposed Cox's abortion, saying every life has value, regardless of a life-limiting or fatal diagnosis. They advocate for support and resources for families facing such challenging diagnoses.

Cox's struggle for a Texas abortion began after she and her husband learned in August 2023 she was pregnant with a third child, which they named Chloe Jones Cox. The baby tested positive for Trisomy 18, a chromosomal abnormality marked by severe cognitive disability and problems impacting nearly every organ system of the body.

Babies with the disorder usually die before age one, according to Boston Children’s Hospital.

Cox’s doctor and gynecologist Damla Karsan said the standard has been to offer abortions to patients who receive this diagnosis.

Cox’s previous two births were delivered by Cesarean section. If she gave birth to the baby, a third C-section would have been necessary. To have another child would have required a fourth C-section, carrying serious health risks, Karsan said.

Cox filed a lawsuit against the state of Texas in December to obtain an abortion as a medical exemption under Texas law that prohibits most abortions.

While a district court judge ruled in her favour, the Texas Supreme Court overturned the decision.