Texas woman who sought court permission for abortion leaves state for the procedure, attorneys say

"No woman should be forced to go to court or flee her home state just to receive the health care she needs. But that is exactly what happened in Texas thanks to Republican elected officials, and it is simply outrageous," Biden said in a White House statement.

Kate Cox, a 31-year-old mother of two from Dallas, is more than 20 weeks pregnant with a fetus with a rare genetic defect, full trisomy 18, which means it will likely die before birth or at most live a few days.

Doctors say failure to terminate the pregnancy could cause a rupture to Cox's uterus, threatening her future fertility and her life.