Texas woman who fled state for abortion makes case for Harris campaign

STORY: "We gave her the name Chloe...Sorry. It's the name that we had in mind for her from the beginning. And, you know, we, there’s nothing more that we wanted than to bring her home."

Kate Cox was forced to flee her home state of Texas for an emergency abortion last year.

Her case, which became a legal challenge that reached the Texas supreme court, grabbed national headlines.

Now, the 32-year-old is set to appear at the Democratic National Convention supporting candidate Kamala Harris, and says she will vote in the November 5 election like her life depends on it.

Her struggles 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 we received, when I was 18 weeks, a full Trisomy 18 diagnosis.”

Trisomy 18 is marked by severe cognitive disability and problems impacting nearly every organ system of the body.

Cox’s doctor and gynecologist Dr. Damla Karsan said these births are often met with end-of-life care.

“The standard of care for these babies, when they're born, is comfort care to allow them to pass peacefully, or hospice care, as a lot of people know it. And so, really, the standard for us has been to offer those patients termination, because pregnancy carries risks.”

Giving birth would’ve also jeopardized Cox’s own health, possibly impacting her ability to have another child.

In December, Cox tried to obtain an abortion as a medical exemption under Texas law that prohibits most terminations.

A district court judge first ruled in her favor.

But after Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a petition, the state's Supreme Court overturned the decision.

Paxton did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

As Cox’s case moved through the district court, the anti-abortion lobby Texas Alliance for Life issued a statement, saying:

“It is heartbreaking to hear of any family facing a tragic diagnosis for their unborn child. At the same time, Texas Alliance for Life does not support taking the life of an unborn child because of a life-limiting or fatal diagnosis.”

Cox and her husband Justin made a challenging trip to New Mexico for the abortion, during which time Cox developed an infection requiring medical treatment as well.

The couple underscored the emotional toll of the state interfering with the family’s medical crisis.

“It was very, very, very hurtful because of what I've been through, and there was no outcome of the pregnancy where I was going to be bringing 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 watch our baby suffer."

"Fair amount of anger, from me, at least... That’s not how things should go. We live here in Texas, this is where our family is, this is where we’re from, we should be able to get the health care that we need here, in the state."

Cox's legal fight for an abortion in Texas threw her into the political spotlight two years after the U.S. Supreme Court scrapped the nationwide right to the procedure.

Democrats hope to galvanize left-leaning and independent voters around the issue, as Vice President Harris faces Republican rival Donald Trump in the presidential election.

Cox, seen here in Harris campaign photos at a June event for President Joe Biden, says she is supporting the vice president partly for her daughter's future.

"I do what I can, you know, to support because this is such an important election. This is such an important time. And, you know, I will cast my ballot 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 with a healthy baby boy.

She says she's grateful, because it may not have been possible - had she not found a way to access abortion care.