Updates Across the States:
==========================

Hi, John. Hopefully, the holidays have treated you well thus far and will continue through the New Year. While the news around reproductive rights has not been altogether happy, we know the importance of sharing these updates with you. 

 

**The Texas Case of Kate Cox**

 

As I reported to you earlier in the month, a Texas woman sought to obtain a legal exemption from the abortion law in her state due to a fetal abnormality. Since then, the Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has gone on a rampage to further Cox's suffering. Not only did the Texas Supreme Court weigh in with an unequivocal rejection of a lower court's ruling, but AG Paxton had previously sent letters to hospitals to threaten them with legal action if they were to perform the abortion. He then appealed a lower court ruling - the one that ruled in favor of her to obtain the procedure - to the Texas Supreme Court, and now another woman in Texas is left with the gut-wrenching effects of a broad and cruel abortion ban. 

 

According to *Mother Jones* in an article on the Kate Cox story, ***"Texas' current law calls on providers to exercise "reasonable medical judgment" in ascertaining if the pregnant person "has a life-threatening physical condition aggravated by, caused by, or arising from a pregnancy" that poses "risk of death or poses a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function unless the abortion is performed or induced."  ***

 

While the state claims that exemptions for medical emergencies exist, the story of Kate Cox did not sway them, despite her health in hellish limbo and multiple visits to the ER within the span of her pregnancy. 

 

**Legal Challenges to Bans Nationwide**

 

Women in Kentucky, Idaho, Tennessee, and several other states are suing due to the inability to receive abortion care in their states. Much like in Texas, the state of Idaho is seeking a case dismissal for those seeking clarifications on the medical exemptions that are supposed to protect women with high-risk pregnancies and emergencies. Per *AP News*, An attorney for the state said, ***"They’re representing hypothetical fact — hypothetical future scenarios — and asking the court to rule,” [attorney James Craig] said. “In that respect, no, they don’t have the right to a declaratory judgment.” ***

 

While the suffering of these women is evident and demonstrated in court, as with the Texas case, the AG offices seek to shift the conversation. The real impact of these laws is labeled as "unintended consequences," but clarification on how to prevent those consequences is ultimately shut down or ignored altogether.
 

**... And Some Good News**

 

Organizers in Florida report that they have reached well over the required signatures needed to place an abortion measure on the ballot for the November 2024 election. The state's election board and Attorney General are seeking to derail the process, or ultimately stop it through the Florida State Supreme Court. According to *The 19th, *eleven states are looking to place abortion on the ballot or strengthen abortion protections already in place, like those in New York. [**Given the success of abortion-related initiatives like in Ohio and data on support for abortion access, voters are pro-choice, even in deep-red states. Please consider helping us keep up the pressure to win back our rights!**]([link removed])

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These stories will undoubtedly continue to evolve, and we will keep you informed. Until then, Happy Holidays, and have a wonderful New Year.

 

***Anna Scudder***
***Reproductive Health & Justice Correspondent***
***No Dem Left Behind***

The Roe Report
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