The Texas Supreme Court’s decision to deny Kate Cox the right to an abortion is a continued affront to the reproductive liberty of all women and birthing people in the state of Texas.
We unequivocally denounce this ruling.
While Texas has one of the harshest anti-abortion laws in the country, it carved out special medical cases for people whose abortion was deemed medically dangerous. With last week’s ruling, there is still no clear guidance as to what that actually means in practice. The targeted prosecution by Attorney General Ken Paxton explicitly shows that this law and its enforcement are politically motivated, and not, in fact, about the safety of women and birthing people. It is telling that the State of Texas intervened to get a lower court’s ruling reversed, in a case of medical necessity, when the patient’s stated goal was to preserve her ability to bear children in the future. As lawyers, legal workers, and champions for human rights, we believe in bodily autonomy, the privacy of citizens, and oppose the criminalization of abortions.
The Texas Supreme Court has failed to protect its own citizens, is putting people in danger by forcing them to give birth, and would rather exert its political beliefs. The Court refused to provide a judicial check on laws that trample over Texans’ rights and health. Such actions further confirm that the Texas Supreme Court is an activist court, furthering the political agenda of the right.
As the National Lawyers Guild Texoma chapter, we urged against this outcome, because it creates distrust among healthcare providers and their patients. This further inhibits the rights of both parties to make decisions without interference from the state. We will continue to call out partisan courts and partner with reproductive justice organizations to ensure that the rights of women and birthing people are protected in our home state of Texas.
-NLG Texoma Chapter
