The Quickie: Breaking News— Texas Court Grants Woman's Request For An Abortion Following Fatal Fetal Diagnosis; Hearing Today
For Immediate Release: Dec. 7, 2023
Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.
In today’s Quickie: Texas court grants a woman’s abortion request after fetal diagnosis and a new poll shows young voters view abortion as a top issue.
BREAKING NEWS—TEXAS COURT GRANTS WOMAN’S REQUEST FOR AN ABORTION FOLLOWING FATAL FETAL DIAGNOSIS; HEARING TODAY: At a hearing this morning, a Texas court granted a patient’s request for an emergency abortion in a historic case. Earlier this week, the Center for Reproductive Rights filed an emergency lawsuit on behalf of Kate Cox, a pregnant woman in Texas in need of an abortion due to a fatal fetal diagnosis and potentially life-threatening health complications, including fertility loss, if she continued the pregnancy. Due to the state’s abortion bans, Kate had not been able to get the time-sensitive critical health care she needed.
Without a temporary restraining order (TRO) that was granted today, Kate would either have been forced to flee Texas to access abortion at great cost or continue the pregnancy until she either miscarried or gave birth to a baby that could only live minutes. The suit asked the court to temporarily halt Texas’ abortion bans as they apply to Kate; her husband, who fears liability under Texas’ vigilante abortion ban; and her OB/GYN Dr. Damla Karsan, so she can provide the care Kate needs without the threat of prosecution.
Kate’s story again demonstrates that health care is a human right and that politicians should not be interfering in people’s medical decisions. This TRO application is the first of its kind since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. According to the Associated Press, it is unclear how quickly Kate will be able to get her abortion and the decision will likely be appealed by the state.
Read more from the AP and ABC News.
YOUNG VOTERS REALLY CARE ABOUT ABORTION: A new Harvard Institute of Politics poll shows that young voters really care about abortion. It’s a top issue among both young men and women 18-29, who are more motivated to show up for abortion referendums than they are for any partisan election in 2024. It’s a clear blowback to the decisions made by lawmakers and the courts in 2022 — and of the enduring support for reproductive freedom.
56% of registered voters, and 46% of all American young people in the survey, said that they’ll “definitely” vote if an abortion measure is on the ballot. That motivation even extends to young people who said they weren’t sure they would vote in the presidential election: 22% of young voters said they’d show up for abortion ballot measures.
If these voters go to the polls next November, abortion rights clearly win: 64% of the voters who said they’d definitely vote on abortion measure describe themselves as pro-choice.
Read more from US News & World Report