Five women who say they were denied abortions sue Texas -New York Times

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07/03/2023 14:54

March 7 (Reuters) - Five women who said they were denied
abortions despite grave risk to their lives or fetuses sued
Texas on Monday, in the first apparent case of pregnant women
suing over curbs imposed after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned
Roe v. Wade in June, The New York Times said.
    The lawsuit was filed in a state court in Austin, which is
Texas' capital, court records show. A spokesman for the Center
for Reproductive Rights, which is backing the lawsuit, confirmed
the filing. A copy of the complaint was not immediately
available.
    Texas, like most of the 13 states with abortion bans, allows
exceptions when a physician finds a risk of "substantial" harm
to the mother, or in cases of rape or incest, or if the fetus
has a fatal diagnosis, the Times said.
    But the prospect of lost medical licenses, fines and up to
99 years in prison has scared doctors into not providing legal
abortions, and the lawsuit seeks to clarify when doctors can
make exceptions, the Times said. It does not seek to overturn
the Texas ban.
    A spokesman for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had no
immediate comment.
    

 (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Mark
Porter)
 ((jon.stempel@thomsonreuters.com; +1 646 223 6317; Reuters
Messaging: jon.stempel.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))