Kate Cox on her struggle to obtain an abortion in Texas
Kate Cox was pregnant with her third child when she learned the baby had a rare genetic disorder called Trisomy 18. Cox and her husband, Justin, were informed by their doctors that if their child survived the pregnancy, her life expectancy would be at best a week. With the baby's health at risk as well as her own, Kate and Justin Cox sued the state of Texas for the right to have an abortion.
In her first interview since the Texas Supreme Court ruled against her, Cox talks about the case, her decision to have an abortion in New Mexico, and more in an interview with Tracy Smith for "CBS News Sunday Morning," to be broadcast Sunday, January 14 on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.
Cox was 20 weeks pregnant when she and her husband filed the lawsuit seeking an exception to Texas' ban on abortions because of the baby's condition and the health risks to Cox. On December 11, while the Coxes were in New Mexico, the Texas Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling, saying Kate Cox did not qualify for a medical exemption to the abortion ban.
According to the couple's attorney Molly Duane, the Texas Supreme Court said "essentially, Kate wasn't sick enough [for an exemption]."
You may watch a preview clip of the interview by clicking on the video player above.
Here are some excerpts:
TRACY SMITH: What did you think when you heard their ruling?
KATE COX: It was crushing. I was shocked that the state of Texas wanted me to continue a pregnancy where I would have to wait until a baby dies in my belly, or dies at birth, or lives for days, and put my own health at risk and a future pregnancy at risk."
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SMITH: Did you think your health, your life, would be threatened if you went through with the birth?
COX: Yes, we know a lot of the Trisomy 18 babies don't survive birth, so I could lose her at any point in the pregnancy. There's a risk of infection … the risk of uterine rupture. And we want more children as well, so what does that mean for future pregnancies?
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