North Texas couple becomes unlikely face of abortion rights movement
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Kate Cox (middle) joined first lady Jill Biden (right) and women's rights activist Maria Shriver (left) at the State of the Union address in Washington on March 7. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
Kate and Justin Cox would have welcomed a baby girl — their third child — this spring if their pregnancy had gone smoothly.
- Instead, the Dallas-area couple became a "reluctant face" of the abortion rights movement, a new Time story says.
Why it matters: Texas' abortion restrictions have created confusion and fear among some doctors over how to treat complicated pregnancies where urgency is needed.
- "Kate was the first time since Roe was overturned that a woman who was currently pregnant, needing an abortion under the health exemption, went to a court to get a court order for an abortion," Center for Reproductive Rights president Nancy Northup told the magazine.
Flashback: The Coxes weren't really paying attention to abortion politics before their third pregnancy. They assumed Texas' ban would have exceptions.
Threat level: Kate Cox was 18 weeks pregnant last year when she learned that the baby may have Trisomy 18, a rare disease with a high risk of a congenital heart defect and death.
- The couple learned about more defects after several tests and were told that the baby was likely to die in utero or shortly after birth.
- Cox's doctor told Time that she was also at "heightened risk" of hysterectomy, hemorrhage and uterine rupture. She had already gone to the emergency room several times during the pregnancy.
- After considering the risks, the Coxes decided they wanted to terminate the pregnancy.
Yes, but: When she learned she wouldn't be able to get an abortion in Texas, Kate Cox reached out to the Center for Reproductive Rights for help. The center filed a lawsuit on her behalf to get answers from the legal system.
- Cox was 20 weeks pregnant when a judge gave her permission to terminate the pregnancy. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked the state Supreme Court to halt the lower court's order.
- The Coxes decided to get an abortion in New Mexico instead of waiting longer for a final decision.
- "I wanted to have my doctors that I trust close by. I wanted to be able to come home and hug my babies, and be close to my mom, and be able to cry on my own pillow," Kate Cox told Time.
- The Supreme Court later ruled that Cox did not qualify for an abortion under the law's medical exception.
The other side: "Texas will proudly continue as a nationwide leader in the protection of the unborn, and the OAG will be steadfast in its mission of defending our state's pro-life laws," Paxton's office said last year.
The intrigue: Cox's son had just peed through his diaper when the Bidens called to invite her to last month's State of the Union.
- "I certainly never thought I would get an opportunity to speak to the president. If I did, I didn't think it would be with pee down my side. That's how it goes for moms sometimes," Cox told Time.
What's next: The Texas Medical Board has proposed more guidance on abortions to doctors, though some critics have said it doesn't give enough clarity.