The Texas Supreme Court reversed a lower court’s ruling that would have allowed a woman to obtain an abortion under the state’s “medical emergency” exception, the news channel reported.
This comes hours after the woman’s attorneys said she had left the state to have the procedure.
The woman, Kate Cox, sought the abortion after learning that her foetus has a fatal condition and doctors told her she could risk her future fertility if she doesn’t get the procedure.
Last week, a state judge ruled that Cox, who is 21 weeks pregnant, could terminate her pregnancy, but the Texas Supreme Court temporarily put that ruling on hold on Friday.
The Centre for Reproductive Rights, which represents Cox, on Monday announced that the 31-year-old mother had left the state to get health care elsewhere, following what the group described as “a week of legal whiplash.”
Then, hours later, the state’s high court ruled against her. The ruling calls into question whether this decision could deter women in similar situations from seeking a court-authorized abortion.