Texas woman who sought court permission for abortion leaves state for the procedure, attorneys say
Kate Cox, a pregnant Texas woman who sought court permission for an abortion, has left the state to obtain the procedure, her attorneys said.
Unfortunately that makes her an outlaw in Texas doesn't it?
(not familiar with the details, but I thought I'd read they'll prosecute out-of-state procedures as well. Same with travelers passing through Texas to receive an abortion elsewhere)
There would be no penalty in this case. The law prohibits enforcement against the mother and activities that take place outside of the state are also not enforceable by Texas. The exception is if someone drives her to the state line for the purpose of obtaining an abortion or gives her money while both are situated in the State of Texas, although interesting would be a case where one is in Texas and the other isn't, bringing up the interstate commerce clause.
Texas allows medical exceptions. I have not yet read why this case did not qualify for the exception. Presumably because the court did not agree the mother's life was at serious risk? Has anyone a good read of the court's ruling?
That can be fought without the looming deadline of a pregnancy coming to term. Dunno if she's willing to go through with that, or if she's just not planning to ever return to Texas (it's not like, Cali, say, would ever extradite, and Texas sending troopers across state lines to bring her back is some Fugitive Slave Act 2: Electric Boogaloo shit that would absolutely not fly).
