Texas Democrats’ Statement on 49th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Democratic Party Co-Executive Directors Hannah Roe Beck and Jamarr Brown issued the following statement on the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade: 

“For the last 49 years, the right to access abortion has been protected by Roe v. Wade. Today is a day to remember the long, hard fight for reproductive rights in the United States and how vulnerable our constitutional right to abortion access has become. Here in Texas, this 49th anniversary of Roe is a somber one, our abortion access has been dismantled by Greg Abbott and Texas Republicans’ dystopian abortion ban, SB 1.  This intrusive law interferes with intimate decisions between patients and healthcare providers. At present, most Texans seeking abortion have no choice but to travel hundreds – if not thousands – of miles out of state to exercise their well-established reproductive rights. And adding insult to injury – Texas Republicans also passed a “trigger” law, which will ban abortions outright if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

“The fight that began over half a century ago continues to this day; A then young Texas attorney Sara Weddington argued and won one of the most groundbreaking cases in American history. This case, Roe v. Wade led to the reproductive liberation of millions of Americans, free to make the best decisions for themselves and their future. Now today, all of this progress is in jeopardy because of a far-right majority Supreme Court. This week, SCOTUS once again denied Texas healthcare providers a day in court by refusing to allow Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson to be heard in District Court after months of delay. Each day that SCOTUS does not secure Texans our reproductive rights is a day that our liberties are lost and both racial and economic justice is denied. 

“We continue to applaud and support abortion rights activists and reproductive justice advocates that have couragiously fought against Abbott’s abortion ban admist personal threats to their own freedom. Personal health care decisions should remain between a person and their doctor, and never between a politician and their political power. 

“We applaud House Democrats for passing Congresswoman Judy Chu’s Women’s Health Protection Act and the President’s efforts to resist further intrusions upon reproductive freedom. But there is still much work to be done and Texas Democrats are calling on Congress to urgently pass legislation codifying abortion rights, so that Americans’ access to this basic health right is fully protected, once and for all. This call to protect abortion access by codifying Roe v. Wade has never been more urgent. We cannot let abortion bans and restrictions, which exacerbate existing healthcare inequities for communities of color, go unchallenged. The only way to win the war Republicans have waged on our bodies and our rights is by showing up this November and electing leaders who truly believe in person freedom and respect the right to access abortion.”