The lawyers representing a pregnant woman in Texas who was attempting to obtain a court order for an abortion in an unprecedented case against one of the country’s most strict bans, announced on Monday that she could not delay any further and traveled to a different state.

Kate Cox, who is pregnant with a fetus that has a life-threatening condition, was waiting for a decision from the Texas Supreme Court regarding her right to have an abortion. Her baby’s prognosis is poor and her lawyers argued that carrying the pregnancy to term would put her health at risk and potentially affect her future fertility.

Nancy Northup, CEO and president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, who was Cox’s representative, stated that her well-being is at risk. She has been frequently going to the emergency room and could not delay any further.

The organization did not reveal Cox’s whereabouts. As of Monday, she would have been 20 weeks and six days into her pregnancy.

The Texas Supreme Court made a ruling against Cox shortly after the announcement was made.

The court stated on Monday afternoon that these laws represent the decision of the Legislature, and the courts are required to honor that decision. On Friday night, the higher court had temporarily stopped a lower court’s ruling that granted Cox the right to have an abortion.

The recent abortion ban in Texas only allows for exceptions in cases where the mother’s life is at risk, but does not consider fetal anomalies. In the last week, the Republican Attorney General, Ken Paxton, has maintained that 31-year-old Cox did not present evidence that her pregnancy complications posed a threat to her life.

A woman living in the Dallas area, who has two children, made headlines when she requested a court’s approval for an abortion following the overturn of Roe v. Wade last year. This case has brought attention to the strict abortion laws in Texas and other Republican-led states, where the procedure is restricted throughout most of the pregnancy.

After Cox filed her lawsuit, a pregnant woman in Kentucky also requested permission from the court to have an abortion. The court has not yet made a decision in that particular case.

Paxton in Texas used a strong defense in an attempt to stop Cox from getting an abortion. He sent letters to three hospitals in Houston, warning them of potential legal repercussions, both criminal and civil, if they allowed Cox’s doctor to perform the procedure. He also claimed that Cox failed to prove that her life was in immediate danger, citing her previous visits to the emergency room where she was ultimately discharged.

Cox underwent two cesarean sections in her initial two pregnancies. In her legal claim, she asserted that inducing labor would pose a threat of uterine rupture due to her previous C-sections, and having another surgery at full term would jeopardize her ability to bear another child. However, Paxton argued that these arguments were insufficient.

Paxton’s office stated in a recent filing that the only matter to consider is whether or not Ms. Cox’s condition qualifies for the exception, regardless of the expected duration of her child’s life.

According to Dr. Leilah Zahedi-Spung, a specialist in maternal fetal medicine and a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health in Colorado, when fatal abnormalities are detected in a fetus, it only poses a risk to the pregnant individual and offers no benefit to the unborn child.

According to Zahedi-Spung, continuing the pregnancy does not have any added benefits and only exposes your body to potential risks. This is because the survival rate is not affected by the length of the pregnancy.

Doctors told Cox that her fetus has a condition known as trisomy 18, which has a very high likelihood of miscarriage or stillbirth, and low survival rates, according to her lawsuit filed last week in Austin. They also told Cox that inducing labor or carrying the baby to term could jeopardize her ability to have another child.

The genetic condition known as Trisomy 18 affects around 1 in 2,500 pregnancies, as reported by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. A legal document submitted by these organizations states that around 70% of diagnosed pregnancies that reach 12 weeks of gestational age do not result in a live birth.

The topic of terminating pregnancies due to fetal anomalies or severe medical issues is rarely addressed in national discussions about abortion. While there are no current figures on the rate of terminations for fetal anomalies in the United States, experts estimate that it accounts for a small portion of all procedures.

For a while now, Texas has been leading the way in implementing stringent abortion regulations in the United States. Despite this, current attempts are being made to further restrict pregnant women from traveling out of state for access to legal procedures. Recently, a judge in Texas declared that these bans cannot prevent women from seeking abortion assistance outside of the state.

Dr. Christina Bourne, medical director for abortion provider Trust Women, which operates clinics in Oklahoma City and Wichita, Kansas, said that whether someone’s life is at imminent risk can be subjective. “There is no clear answer to what is imminent risk,” she said.

According to Bourne, medical professionals are currently working in a perplexing environment.

She expressed worry for the health of pregnant individuals living in states with strict laws.