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Texan woman who fled the state for an abortion supports Harris campaign

STORY: “We named her Chloe… sorry. That's the name we had in mind for her from the beginning. And, you know, we just wanted to bring her home.” Kate Cox was forced to flee her home state of Texas last year to have an emergency abortion. Her case, which led to a legal challenge that ended up in the Texas Supreme Court, made national headlines. Now the 32-year-old is scheduled to appear at the Democratic National Convention and support candidate Kamala Harris. She says she will vote in the Nov. 5 election as if her life depended on it. Her problems began when the mother of two was pregnant with her third child last August and tests revealed the baby had a life-threatening genetic condition. “With each ultrasound, the news became more and more devastating, and by the time I was 18 weeks pregnant, we received the full diagnosis of trisomy 18.” Trisomy 18 is characterized by severe cognitive disabilities and problems that affect nearly every organ system in the body. Cox's doctor and gynecologist Dr. Damla Karsan said these births often involve end-of-life care. “The standard of care for these babies after they're born is palliative care so they can die peacefully, or hospice care as many people know it. And so it was really standard for us to offer these patients an abortion because there are risks involved in pregnancy.” Giving birth would also have endangered Cox's own health and potentially affected her ability to have another child. In December, Cox tried to obtain an abortion as a medical exception under Texas law, which prohibits most abortions. A district judge initially ruled in her favor. But after Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a petition, the state Supreme Court overturned the decision. Paxton did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. As Cox's case moved through district court, the anti-abortion lobby Texas Alliance for Life issued a statement saying: “It is heartbreaking to hear from families facing a tragic diagnosis for their unborn child. At the same time, Texas Alliance for Life does not support the killing of an unborn child due to a life-limiting or terminal diagnosis.” Cox and her husband, Justin, made a grueling trip to New Mexico for the abortion, during which Cox contracted an infection that also required medical treatment. The couple stressed the emotional toll the family's medical crisis was taking on the state. “It was very, very, very painful because of what I went through and there was no outcome of the pregnancy where I would bring home a baby. And as parents, we made the best decision for our family, for my health, for a future pregnancy. We didn't want to see our baby suffer.” “Quite a lot of anger, at least on my part … This is not how it should go. We live here in Texas, this is our family, this is where we're from, we should be able to get the health care we need here in this state.” Cox's legal fight to get an abortion in Texas has thrust her into the political spotlight two years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal right to the procedure. Democrats hope to mobilize left-leaning and independent voters on the issue as Vice President Harris faces her Republican rival Donald Trump in the presidential election. Cox, seen here in Harris campaign photos at an event for President Joe Biden in June, says she is supporting the vice president in part because of her daughter's future. “I'm doing what I can to support because this is such an important election. This is such an important time. And you know, I'm going to vote like my life depends on it, because it does.” Despite their painful ordeal in Texas, the Coxes say they don't want to leave their home. “We're not going anywhere. We love the state of Texas. We don't agree with the direction that's going right now. But we plan to hopefully make some changes.” Cox is now five months pregnant and expecting a healthy baby boy. She says she's grateful because maybe that wouldn't have been possible — if she hadn't found a way to get an abortion.