Kate Cox Says She’s Happily Pregnant Today ‘Because I Accessed Abortion Care’

In December, the Texas Supreme Court denied Cox an emergency abortion for her dangerous, nonviable pregnancy. This week, she spoke at the DNC—and also talked to Jezebel about how she’s doing now.

By Kylie Cheung  |  August 21, 2024 | 11:59am
Photo: Kylie Cheung Politics Democratic National Convention
Kate Cox Says She’s Happily Pregnant Today ‘Because I Accessed Abortion Care’

CHICAGO — On Tuesday, the Democratic National Convention once again offered a platform to a woman horrifically impacted by an abortion ban. Inside the United Center, Democrats heard from Kate Cox, a mother of two who suffered from a nonviable, dangerous pregnancy in December, but was still denied an emergency abortion by the Texas Supreme Court. Cox, now five months pregnant and eagerly awaiting the birth of her third child, spoke on behalf of Texas during the convention’s roll call.

“I’m Kate Cox, and I love being a mom. I have two beautiful children, and my husband and I have always wanted a third. But when I got pregnant, doctors told us our baby would never survive, and if I didn’t get an abortion, it would put a future pregnancy at risk,” she said. “Because of [former President Trump’s] abortion bans, I had to flee my home. There’s nothing pro-family about abortion bans. There’s nothing pro-life about letting women suffer and even die today without a way to access abortion care.” Cox then shared to uproarious applause that, today, she’s five months pregnant, and her third child could be born “just in time” to see Harris’ inauguration in January.

Speaking to Jezebel Tuesday afternoon, Cox called her nonviable pregnancy “the most heartbreaking experience of my life.” The Texas court’s cruel and nonsensical ruling in 2023 argued that her situation wasn’t urgent enough to qualify for the ban’s ambiguous medical emergency exception–since she seemingly wasn’t on the brink of death. Meanwhile, Texas doctors face the threat of life in prison if they choose the wrong “urgent” scenario, making many of them much more conservative in deciding when to provide life-saving care.

But on Tuesday, Cox was smiling and maintained that she’s hopeful for the future: “I’m pregnant today because I got access to abortion care, and so I have the chance to bring a baby home from the hospital.”

Cox spoke with Jezebel from inside the “Ride to Decide” tour bus, led by the Free & Just campaign, which works to combat restrictions on reproductive rights. Inside, the bus was lined with posters with similar slogans, including “Contraception NOT Control,” “Our Voices. Our Stories. Our Families,” and “Stop Abortion Bans,” as well as postcards from community members, some sharing personal experiences with seeking reproductive care. Free & Just has spent the last few weeks on a road trip across the Midwest, kicking off in Milwaukee during the Republican National Convention in July and culminating in Chicago this week. Since Cox shared her abortion experience in December, she’s been partnering with the campaign to connect with and galvanize other people across the country with similar pregnancy experiences. 

“The courage of [abortion] storytellers really gives me a lot of hope,” Cox said. “One of the things that I hear a lot is, ‘Your story is my story. I’m just one woman. We’re just one family. But our tragic story is playing out all over the United States because of abortion bans.”

In May, the Texas Supreme Court also dismissed a lawsuit brought forth by over 20 patients who said that ambiguity in the state ban’s medical emergency exception had jeopardized their lives. The court dismissively said the women’s lawsuit opened the door for too many ostensibly non-emergency abortions. In response to the ruling, one of the plaintiffs, said, “I felt that Texas showed their cards with Kate.”

Cox says she was moved to speak at the DNC by her faith in Vice President Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to challenge abortion bans and her fear of the stakes for the already brutal state of abortion access. “This is not a woman’s issue, it’s everybody’s issue.”

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