Reaction to President Biden's Expected Attempt to Misinform about Texas' Pro-Life Laws in His State of the Union Address

Texas Alliance for Life strongly condemns President Biden's attempt to further the pro-abortion misinformation campaign about Texas' pro-life laws by inviting Texan Kate Cox to the State of the Union address on Thursday, March 7. Represented by the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights, Ms. Cox gained attention by attempting to obtain a court order to allow the abortion of her unborn child diagnosed with Trisomy 18 despite not meeting the qualifications of a well-defined medical-necessity exception under Texas law.

In its December 11, 2023, opinion in the case, the Texas Supreme Court noted that Cox's physician "asked a court to pre-authorize the abortion yet she could not, or at least did not, attest to the court that Ms. Cox's condition poses the risks the exception requires." The Court described the exception as "a life-threatening condition during a pregnancy, raising the necessity for an abortion to save her life or to prevent impairment of a major bodily function."

"Every unborn child, regardless of diagnosis, is valuable and worthy of protection. It is deeply concerning that President Biden would use Ms. Cox's unfortunate situation to advance a narrative that undermines the sanctity of life and disregards the laws of Texas," said Amy O'Donnell, Texas Alliance for Life Communications Director. "This is a direct snub of the majority of voters in our state who elected pro-life legislators who supported the passage of our protective, pro-life laws." 

Texas Alliance for Life reaffirms its commitment to advocating for policies that protect the rights of the unborn and support women facing challenging pregnancies while working to prevent any weakening exceptions from being added to Texas pro-life laws. 

We invite members of the media and the public to view two videos demonstrating that women with difficult pregnancies can value the lives of their unborn babies diagnosed with Trisomy 18, the same condition as Ms. Cox's baby. Both women are available for interviews:

• Deirdre Cooper, a public policy analyst for Texas Alliance for Life tells the story of her pregnancy with her son, Bosco, who died during birth in this video from the Texas Alliance for Life Post-Roe Texas Video Series. 703.402.5605 (m), [email protected].

• Jacquelyn Smith, pro-life educator and activist, spoke at the 2024 Texas Rally for Life about her beautiful daughter Gemma, who was diagnosed with Trisomy 18 prenatally and died shortly after birth. 214.457.5128 (m), [email protected].

Background on the Effects of Texas Abortion Laws Since Dobbs

In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, and Texas abortion laws protecting unborn babies beginning at conception. Data from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission show that reported elective abortions have plummeted from thousands per month to zero. And, from Dobbs through October 2023, doctors performed 71 abortions under the medical-necessity exception all in hospitals. There is no evidence that any doctor has been prosecuted by a district attorney or sanctioned by the Texas Medical Board.