Texas is a mess

Anti-abortion crusaders make an art of cruelty

Kate Cox really wants to have a baby.

For a while, it seemed her dream was about to be realized. Recently, however, Cox and her husband learned the fetus has full trisomy 18. This chromosomal abnormality will almost certainly kill the fetus.

If the baby is born, there’s almost no chance it will live beyond two weeks. Less than 10% of babies survive their first year. The tiny percentage that become teenagers need extensive care throughout their entire lives.

Unfortunately, Cox lives in Dallas. Texas’s abortion laws prohibit a fetus with a heartbeat from being aborted, medical conditions be damned.

There was some light this week when a federal judge, Travis County District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, made an exception for Cox. This was the first such legal intervention in the state in 50 years.

After a 45-minute Zoom hearing Thursday, Gamble ruled that Cox should be allowed to terminate the pregnancy, and that Dr. Damla Karsan, a Houston OB/GYN, should be protected from civil and criminal penalties if she performs the procedure.

Texas officials, who happen to all be men, are not happy. State Attorney General Ken Paxton warned hospitals this should not be seen as precedent for further abortions.

A lawyer for Paxton’s office claims Cox doesn’t meet all requirements for medical exemption. She does.

The state claimed that Cox lives in Florida. In reality, Cox used a Florida-based notary to submit documents to the court. She hasn’t left Dallas in months.

Even still, Paxton is warning doctors they might not be shielded from prosecution. His office traced where Cox receives care in order to threaten them.

In a letter to three Texas hospitals where Cox's doctor has practiced, Paxton warned that the facilities could be found liable for negligently credentialing her or for failing to exercise appropriate professional judgment in allowing the doctor to perform an abortion.

Cox remains hopeful despite fervent opposition from anti-choice crusaders. She’s stated that she hopes to have a child in the near future, despite this traumatic event.

An event being made all the more difficult by men hellbent on ensuring that women comply with their archaic demands, regardless of the cost to a family already under an unbelievable amount of stress.