Kate Cox, the woman whose medical condition prompted her to seek an exemption from Texas’ abortion ban last year, revealed on Thursday that she is pregnant.
In an interview on CNN’s “The Source with Kaitlin Collins,” Cox revealed she is expecting to have a boy.
“It’s our dream to expand our family,” Cox said. “So, I’m so grateful today to be here, to be pregnant, for us to get to expand our family.”
During her previous pregnancy, Cox’s fetus had a genetic condition known as trisomy 18, which makes the baby likely to die in the womb or within the first month after birth. It also puts the life of the pregnant woman at risk from complications, including a ruptured uterus.
Cox later sought an abortion outside of Texas as the courts turned down her request for an exemption to Texas’ abortion ban.
“If I have an emergency, my first call would be my lawyer, and my second call would be my doctor,” Cox said.
She said Texas’ abortion ban has made things challenging for doctors in the state.
“I live in a state, where I know my doctors are fearful. I trust my doctors. But the State of Texas doesn’t trust doctors, to make good-faith decisions. And so, it’s a scary, scary time, in Texas,” she said.
State officials have defended the law, which became enforceable after the Supreme Court ruled in 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade. The 2022 ruling allowed numerous states to enact laws that ban most if not all abortions.
In Texas, the state marks June 24 as Sanctity of Life Day in honor of the 2022 decision. In 2023, some state offices closed in observance of the day.
“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,” said state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Cox said that Texas’ backing of abortions with few exceptions has her scared.
“Being pregnant, this is the time that should be just filled with joy and excitement,” she said. “And it’s scary, because pregnancy emergencies happen in a moment. And I don’t want to be scared, if my water breaks too early, if I have a miscarriage that I’m not going to be able to access care. It’s very scary.”
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