as the justices agreed this week to hear# a case about access to mifepristone for## medication abortions, which make up more# than half of abortions in this country.

For many Americans, these Supreme Court# decisions have immediate real-life implications.

AMNA NAWAZ: And that is playing out this week in# Texas, where the state Supreme Court overturned## a ruling that would have allowed Dallas# resident Kate Cox to terminate her nonviable## pregnancy.

Cox had to leave the state to get that# abortion, but the ruling has broad repercussions.

And it's put medical providers on the front lines## of interpreting legal language# while caring for their p We're joined now by one such medical provider.## That is Dr. Amna Dermish.

She's# an OB-GYN based in Austi Dr. Dermish, welcome.

It's so nice to have# someone with my same name on the show,## though we differ slightly in pronunciation.

I want to ask you about this# exception in the Tex though.

There's a near-total abortion ban in# the state, the exception risk to the life of the mother.

In the Kate# Cox case, she said it was a risk.

The court## disagreed.

And they said in the ruling,# the exception is predicated on a doctor## acting within the zone of reasonable medical# judgment, which is what doctors do every day.

Does that make sense to you?

Do you# understand what the exception encompasses?

DR. AMNA DERMISH, Planned Parenthood of# Greater Texas: I don't.

And I think that## really gets to the heart of the matter, is# he alth care providers to be put into a# situation where every medical decision## that we make is being second-guessed# by the legislature and the judiciary.

And so physicians are placed# in a situation where they are## unsure whether what they consider to be# their sound, reasonable judgment wou be acceptable to our attorney general# or to judges in the state of Texas.

AMNA NAWAZ: And we spoke with Kate Cox# before that court ruling.

Here is just## a clip of what she had to say about# learning her pregnancy was KA TE COX, Plaintiff: She will either die# in my belly or I will carry her to term## and have to deliver her stillborn,# or, if she arrives into this world,## her life will be measured in minutes or hours# or days and plagued with medical devices.

She would need to be placed directly onto# hospice.

So imagine receiving that news and## pairing that with the risks and complications# of continuing the pregnancy and the childbirth.

AMNA NAWAZ: Dr. Dermish, knowing the# uncertainty you just expressed around## interpreting the law, how do you talk to# your patients about this kind of thing,## knowing many of them will face# the same thing that Kate Cox did?

DR. AMNA DERMISH: Yes.

these conversations are really hard to have,## and they're not happening in the way that# th Listening to Kate is heartbreaking,# because nobody should ever be in that## situation.

We're in a situation where doctors# are having to say, how sick is too sick?

How# close to death does somebody need to be?

And# who is allowed to make that determination?

Patients aren't allowed to choose their# own risks.

Is it a 20 percent risk of## death that is good enough to have an# abortion in Texas?

Or does it need to## be 70 percent?

How much blood is too much# blood for somebody to lose before we can## say that this is an acceptable# abortion in the state of Texas?

And it's an untenable situation.

People# are forced into these terrible th at they're not even allowed# to make.

And, as a physician,## it's just -- it's heartbreaking to be there.

I# have the training and the capa care to these people.

I live here in the state# of Texas, and I am prevented from providing## essential medical care to patients based on my# judgment and the patient's desires by my state.

AMNA NAWAZ: There's the mission to# serve your patients.

There's also the## legal risk you and your colleagues# face in ha What's the conversation been like# among other OB-GYNs in Texas?

DR. AMNA DERMISH: I mean, I think there's# a culture of fear that exists now.

Peopl aren't sure what is safe to say to their patients.## They're unsure what kind of care# they can offer their patients.

And they are afraid that, if they offer the# standard of care, that they will be that they will lose their license.

They will lose# their livelihood.

Their family will suffer.

And## again, as -- and then on the other side, you have# this patient who suffers even more from this.

And you go into medicine to help# people.

And to be held back from## that is really devastating as a provider.# And I think what we have seen in Kate Cox's## case is that the state is determined to# prevent us from practicing safe medicine.

We see that with the letters that the# attorney general sent to the hospitals and## to the physician, threatening them if they were to# proceed with providing the standard o think it's just going to continue to harm people# in ways that we can't even imagine at this point.

AMNA NAWAZ: Well, Doctor, as you# know, Texas is not alone in its## abortion restrictions there.

There's some# 15 other s The landscape shifts quickly as well.

The# Arizona Supreme Court just heard arguments## about an abortion ban.

A Wyoming judge is now# weighing whether or not to uphold a medication## abortion ban.

Do you consult and compare# notes with other doctors in other states?

DR. AMNA DERMISH: I mean, we have -- I'm# fortunate to belong to an amazing community## of providers across the country.

And in some# ways, it feels like a race to the bottom.

And when we talk about this, the focus is# always on the care that our patients need## and what we can still do to help them in the# face of all these restrictions.

Our patients## are terrified.

My colleagues are telling me that# patients are leaving their phones behind when they## travel across state lines to get abortion care# because they are afraid that they will be tracked## and they will be punished for seeking health# care.

That's the environment that we live in.

AMNA NAWAZ: That is Dr. Amna Dermish, OB-GYN,# based in Austin, Texas, joining us tonight.

Doctor, thank you so much.

DR. AMNA DERMISH: Thank you so much.