‘It is outrageous’: Texas abortion providers react to Supreme Court draft
Texas leaders and abortion care nonprofits shared their thoughts on Twitter after a leaked draft opinion revealed a majority of Supreme Court justices agreed to vote for a judicial opinion that would strike down Roe vs. Wade. Politico obtained the draft and broke the news on Monday, May 2.
The 1973 case Roe v. Wade legalized abortion nationwide, but it’s unclear if the draft represents the court’s final word on the matter. Politico reported justices can and sometimes do change their votes as draft opinions circulate. However, if voted through, the draft stated it would return the issue of abortion to the states and the people’s elected representatives.
Although not finalized, several Texas representatives and nonprofits have tweeted their disapproval of the draft. In the Lone Star State, abortion rights are already limited. Last year, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into a law a measure that would prohibit abortions as early as six weeks – before some people know they are pregnant – and open the door for almost any private citizen to sue abortion providers and others. The law went into effect in September.
“Overturning Roe v Wade would be devastating for our community,” Mara E. Posada, director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood South Texas, tells MySA. “The right to bodily autonomy and to make one’s own decisions about pregnancy is an essential human right. While this is a draft opinion and not an actual ruling from the Court, it is outrageous and unprecedented.”
Executive Director Aimee Arrambide for Avow Texas, a nonprofit that works to secure unrestricted abortion access, told MySA the same crisis Texans have faced regarding abortion care could become a reality for half the county if the draft holds true. Arrambide stressed that abortion is still legal in most of the country.
However, Arrambide stated the “leaked opinion proves what abortion advocates in red states already knew: the state of abortion access is about to get worse before it gets better.”
“We need to be clear in naming what these decisions are rooted in – white supremacy – and who will be impacted the most when the Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade,” Arrambide explained. “It will be Black, Indigenous, people of color, disabled folks, trans people, minors, and low-income communities. Abortion advocates in red states are resilient, we’re committed to fighting back, but it’s going to be difficult and we will need our communities’ support more than ever.”
Jessica Cisneros, an immigration attorney from Laredo running against Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar in Texas’s 28th congressional district, tweeted listing the right to choose is “imminent.” She wrote the decision will affect millions in the country, making health care even less accessible than it is now.”
“Yet, Cuellar voted with Republicans against codifying #Roe,” Cisneros tweeted. “We have the last word on May 24. #TX28.”
Gina Hinojosa, Texas District 49 representative for the Austin area, tweeted a woman’s right over her body is a fundamental human right, adding that’s why it is a constitutional right. The U.S. Supreme Court’s failure to recognize this is a failure to recognize the full human dignity of women, full citizens entitled to equal rights under the law, she wrote.
On the Texas Republican side, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was one of the first to tweet his thoughts. He said he hopes that SCOTUS returns the question of abortion where it belongs: the states.
“I’ll con’t (continue) to ensure that TX protects the unborn & pray for the end of abortion across our nation,” he wrote.
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