On Thursday, Dec. 7, a Texas judge allowed Kate Cox, a Dallas mother, to legally terminate her pregnancy. Cox, now 20 weeks pregnant, filed a lawsuit requesting an Austin court to temporarily suspend the state’s abortion ban.

The fetus was diagnosed with trisomy 18, a chromosomal condition associated with abnormalities in many parts of the body, slow growth before birth, and a low birth weight. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, only 50 percent of babies carried to term will be born alive, and 90 to 95 percent of those born do not survive beyond the first year–with many not even surviving the first few days. 

In the past month, Cox has been to three separate emergency rooms with severe cramping and fluid leaks. Cox has previously received two C-sections — and as the suit stated, “continuing the pregnancy puts her at high risk for severe complications threatening her life and future fertility, including uterine rupture and hysterectomy.”

As Texas grows as one of the strictest anti-abortion states, Cox could still face civil and criminal penalties regarding the procedure.