Texas Supreme Court to hear challenge to Texas abortion law

Kaitlyn Kash and her husband were overjoyed to learn that they were pregnant, but their excitement turned to devastation when they received news that their unborn baby had a severe genetic disorder. Due to Texas having one of the most restrictive state abortion laws, the couple had to seek abortion care outside of Texas. A lawsuit was filed in March 2023 by the Center for Reproductive Rights on behalf of Kash and 19 other women who were denied abortions in Texas despite being faced with severe and dangerous pregnancy complications. The lawsuit focuses on medical exceptions to two Texas laws passed in 2021 and 2023, which essentially limit access to necessary reproductive health care. Since the filing of the lawsuit, Texas lawmakers have made some revisions to the Health Code to provide certain defenses to doctors, but the case has still reached the Texas Supreme Court. This case represents the experiences of many women in Texas who are denied emergency abortion care, and as a result, face life-threatening situations. The case is being closely watched, and it has drawn the involvement of various stakeholders in Texas and the rest of the country through amicus briefs, which provide perspective on the case. The high-stakes case will determine whether Texas’ abortion laws clearly outline the medical exceptions that allow patients to terminate a pregnancy to save their life.

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