Texas High Court’s Abortion Denial Amplifies Medical Uncertainty

The Texas Supreme Court’s decision to deny a Dallas-area woman’s access to an emergency abortion further obscures abortion providers’ medical decision-making in states with restrictions on the procedure, physician groups and health lawyers say.

The top court in the Lone Star State ruled unanimously Dec. 11 to vacate a temporary restraining order that authorized a doctor to perform an abortion on 31-year-old Kate Cox, whose doctors said her fetus had a fatal diagnosis of trisomy 18, a genetic condition also known as Edward’s Syndrome. The court argued Cox’s doctor failed to show Cox had a “life-threatening physical condition,” or that ...