DazeVlog

Republican Sen. Susan Collins has slammed the Texas Supreme Court ruling in the Kat Cox abortion case.

The Texas Supreme Court on Monday reversed a lower court's ruling that would have allowed Cox, a pregnant 31-year-old mother of two, to obtain an abortion under the state's "medical emergency" exception. However, the ruling comes as Cox left the state on Monday to allow herself to terminate the pregnancy legally, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights, which has represented Cox in the case. Cox first sought the abortion after learning her fetus has a fatal trisomy 18 genetic defect, also known as Edwards' syndrome. Most babies with the defect will die before birth or shortly afterward. Previously, a state judge last week ruled Cox, who is 21 weeks pregnant, could terminate her pregnancy—but the Texas Supreme Court temporarily put that ruling on hold late Friday.

On Tuesday, Collins of Maine slammed the Texas ruling denying Cox an abortion, according to Igor Bobic, senior politics reporter at the HuffPost, who quoted her on X, formerly Twitter, as saying, "I thought it was a terrible decision... that may affect her future ability to carry a child, was forced to leave Texas to get a much needed abortion—it's just inconceivable to me."

Newsweek has reached out to Collins via email and phone multiple times for comment.

This comes as Texas enacted one of the strictest abortion bans in the United States, following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, leaving individual states to choose their own legal status on abortion. Texas' ban, which does not have exceptions for rape, incest or medical needs, such as Cox's case, goes into effect after about six weeks of pregnancy.

Collins previously condemned the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022, stating, "The Supreme Court has abandoned a fifty-year precedent at a time that the country is desperate for stability. This ill-considered action will further divide the country at a moment when, more than ever in modern times, we need the Court to show both consistency and restraint."

"Throwing out a precedent overnight that the country has relied upon for half a century is not conservative. It is a sudden and radical jolt to the country that will lead to political chaos, anger, and a further loss of confidence in our government," Collins added in a press release in 2022.

However, amid Cox and other abortion cases, some have taken to X to criticize Collins, noting resurfaced interviews of the senator stating she was confident Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh would not overturn Roe v. Wade.

Kavanaugh was one of the five justices to vote to overturn Roe vs. Wade in 2022.

X user Roshan Rinaldi wrote, "Right after voting to approve his appointment to the Supreme Court,... Senator Susan Collins swore up and down on national TV that Brett Kavanaugh wouldn't overturn Roe v. Wade.How'd that work out?"

Another X user, Isabel Santos wrote, "After voting to approve Brett Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court,... Senator Susan Collins swore up and down on national TV that he wouldn't overturn Roe v. Wade. Susan Collins you are a traitor to women everywhere, and that will be you legacy!"

The comments stem from a CNN interview in 2018 in which Collins said she was convinced Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Kavanaugh wouldn't overturn Roe v. Wade, but later noted in 2022 following news of the draft opinion of the overturn, it would be "completely inconsistent" with what the two purported.

During Kavanaugh's confirmation process in 2018, he stated that he believed the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision was "settled as precedent of the Supreme Court." Kavanaugh also noted that "the Supreme Court has recognized the right to abortion since the 1973 Roe v. Wade case. It has reaffirmed it many times."

According to The New York Times, Kavanaugh also did not say during the 2018 hearings whether he would or would not reconsider Roe v. Wade.

Adding to the condemnation of the Texas ruling, President Joe Biden also aimed at Republican officials on Tuesday in a statement citing the "legal and medical chaos we are witnessing in states like Texas, Kentucky and Arizona, is a direct result of Roe v. Wade being overturned."

"Republican elected officials have imposed dangerous abortion bans that jeopardize women's health, force them to travel out of state for care, and threaten to criminalize doctors. Their agenda is extreme and out-of-step with the vast majority of Americans," Biden added.

Cox's lawsuit is believed to be the first time since Roe was overturned that a woman has asked a court to approve an abortion.

In a press release on Monday, Nancy Northup, head of the Center for Reproductive Health said Cox's health is on the line and will not be disclosing her whereabouts, adding, "This is why judges and politicians should not be making healthcare decisions for pregnant people—they are not doctors."

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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