Ahead of Would-Be Anniversary of Landmark Roe v. Wade Decision, Women Who Sued Texas Over State’s Abortion Ban and Patient Advocates Warn of Coming Attacks on Reproductive Freedom

For Immediate Release

January 21, 2025 

Contact: Kelly Rimar kelly@freeandjust.us  

**WATCH THE EVENT HERE**

TEXAS – Today,  Amanda Zurawski, Samantha Casiano, and Ryan Hamilton joined Free & Just to mark what would be the 52nd anniversary of the landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, which enshrined the right to legal abortion for nearly 50 years. In June 2022, the Supreme Court stripped away the right to safe and legal abortion, ending half a century of precedent and robbing millions of people of the freedom to make their own decisions about their families, futures, and lives. In the years since, attacks on reproductive freedom have escalated, and women across the country have lost their lives as a result of abortion bans and restrictions.

 Stripping away the freedoms Roe protected was just the first step in extremists' anti-abortion playbook. Today, Republican officials remain committed to banning abortion nationwide, and they will use any tool at their disposal to do it – even though it remains widely unpopular.  

 “Extremists are going out of their way to make sure the stories of people like my wife are kept quiet,” said Ryan Hamilton, whose wife nearly died after experiencing a miscarriage in Texas, where laws passed by anti-abortion extremists limit access to medical care. Reflecting on ProPublica’s reporting on the preventable deaths of women who lost their lives as a result of Texas’ abortion ban, Hamilton pledged to continue sharing his family’s story and standing up to attacks on reproductive freedom. “We have to continue to tell and use our stories. My anger has purpose, and I’m going to use it.”

“I asked my doctor what my options were, and she told me I didn’t have any, because in the state of Texas, we have an abortion ban,” said Samantha Casiano, a mother of four who was forced to give birth to her daughter, Halo in 2023, despite knowing that she would survive just a few painful hours. “People assume that so-called ‘exceptions’ to the ban help people like me. I was not an exception. That’s why I continue to speak about this, because  together we can make a change, and together we can make sure people know that this is real.”

“I was denied care because of the ban in Texas, and was told that I had to wait until I met the one medical exception in our state which is the life of the mother. So I was either waiting for the baby’s heart to stop, or waiting until I got so sick that I deserved care,” said  Amanda Zurawski, who went into septic shock twice and nearly lost her life after being denied an abortion in 2022. Zurawski sued the state of Texas, but her challenge was rejected by the state’s Supreme Court in a devastating blow to patients across Texas. Still, Zurawski pledged to continue spotlighting the deathly consequences of abortion bans: “In this new political landscape, what I want people to understand is that this fight is not over. This work is not done. I am not going anywhere.”

If you are interested in speaking with any of the participants in the press event, please contact kelly@freeandjust.us. 

You can watch the virtual press event here, and learn more about how Republican officials plan to restrict reproductive freedom here.

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Free & Just is fighting to stop attacks on reproductive freedom and rights. We’re working with people across the country to share real stories to show the devastating consequences of attacks on our reproductive freedom. We all deserve the right to control our bodies and lives. That’s why we’re sharing our stories, raising our voices, and fighting for our future.

At “Ride to Decide” National Bus Tour Event in Houston, Patients Who Sued Texas Over Abortion Ban, Health Care Providers, and Community Leaders Demand Federal Action to Protect Reproductive Freedom

HOUSTON, TEXAS –– Today, Free & Just’s “Ride to Decide” national bus tour arrived in Houston to highlight what’s at stake as extremist lawmakers work to ban abortion nationwide. The “Ride to Decide” bus tour comes as attacks on reproductive freedom escalate across the country. Support for legal abortion has increased since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, but that hasn’t stopped anti-abortion extremists and conservative lawmakers from continuing to undermine Americans’ access to abortion care, birth control, and IVF treatment. 

At the event, Amanda Zurawski and Samantha Casiano, who sued the state of Texas after being denied care joined health care providers, and community members to highlight how attacks on reproductive freedom harm women and families in Texas and across the country.

“I went to Washington, DC to beg our senators to do something about this crisis, and they couldn’t even be bothered to be in the room while I was testifying,” said Amanda Zurawski, who went into septic shock twice and nearly lost her life after being denied an abortion in Texas is 2022. Zurawski sued the state of Texas, but her challenge was recently rejected by the state’s Supreme Court in a devastating blow to patients across Texas. “The way to fix this problem is to continue to tell our stories. We need to have these conversations with the people that we care about, and we need to have them often. We need them to understand what is at stake and why they should care.”

“Medical boards and lawmakers will tell us that there are exceptions to abortion bans, but where? I was not an ‘exception,’ Amanda Zurawski was not an ‘exception,’” said Samantha Casiano, a mother of four who was forced to give birth to her daughter, Halo, in 2023, despite knowing that she would survive just a few hours. “Women aren’t being granted exceptions, and people need to see that.” Casiano joined the women suing the state as a plaintiff in Zurawski v. Texas, and continues to share what happened to her family, despite how painful it is reliving the experience. 

“When abortion is banned, people don’t stop needing access to this care. It’s these people who I think about every time a new restriction is passed,” said Dr. Bhavik Kumar, a local abortion provider and family medicine physician who serves as the Medical Director for Primary and Trans Care at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast. “Anti-abortion extremists will not stop until abortion care is completely banned in the entire country. Their tactics are ruthless and senseless.”

“It’s just as normal to feel dread about a pregnancy as it is to feel excitement – what is not normal is conservative politicians thinking that they get to have any kind of feelings about your pregnancy,” said Micaela, a nurse midwife in the Houston area who shared how Texas’ strict abortion ban has changed the practice environment for health care providers across the state. “I have seen friends and colleagues – nurses, midwives, and physicians alike – leave Texas altogether because they’re tired of politicians trying to practice medicine, and they’re unwilling to work in a state that threatens to sue them for taking care of people.”

“We know it doesn’t have to be this way,” said Gjabrielle Guterrez, the Managing Director of Deeds Not Words, an organization which seeks to elevate the voices and power of young women through civic engagement and advocacy training. “That’s why we’re fighting to hold lawmakers for harmful attacks on the people and families in our communities. We all deserve better.”

The “Ride to Decide” tour is headed to Louisiana next, where local storytellers in Baton Rouge and Shreveport will spotlight the real-life impacts of abortion bans and attacks on reproductive freedom and share why federal action to protect access to abortion and reproductive health care has never been more important.

You can watch the event here. If you are interested in speaking with any of the participants in the press event, please contact kelly@freeandjust.us. 

Free & Just is committed to fighting for reproductive freedom. Join us in sharing stories, raising voices, and securing our future. 

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Free & Just is fighting to stop attacks on reproductive freedom and rights. We’re working with people across the country to share real stories to show the devastating consequences of attacks on our reproductive freedom. We all deserve the right to control our bodies and lives. That’s why we’re sharing our stories, raising our voices, and fighting for our future.

At “Ride to Decide” Bus Tour Event in Austin, Mother Who Sued Texas Over Abortion Ban, Former Under Sec. Gina Ortiz Jones, and Local Leaders Highlight What’s at Stake for Reproductive Freedom

AUSTIN, TEXAS –– Today, Free & Just’s “Ride to Decide'' national bus tour stopped in Austin to highlight what’s at stake as extremist lawmakers work to ban abortion nationwide. The Ride to Decide bus tour comes as attacks on reproductive freedom escalate across the country. Support for legal abortion has increased since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, but that hasn’t stopped anti-abortion extremists and conservative lawmakers from continuing to undermine Americans’ access to abortion care, birth control, and IVF treatment. 
At the event, local patient storytellers, community members, and Councilwoman Fuentes shared how attacks on reproductive freedom harm women and families in Texas and across the country.

“I truly cannot emphasize the fear I felt while arranging flights to flee the state for care, worried I’d be arrested in the airport,” said Taylor Edwards, a mother who was forced to travel to Colorado for care when she learned that her baby had encephalocele, a defect of the neural tube that meant the baby would not survive outside the womb. “Situations like mine are not unique, and Texans are faced with this every single day. Reproductive rights are under attack, IVF is under attack, birth control is under attack, and abortion is under attack. We have to stand together and fight against these attacks, because they will just get more extreme.”

Edwards joined women from across Texas as a plaintiff in Zurawski v. State of Texas, the first-of-its-kind legal challenge that sought to provide clarity for doctors and patients experiencing medical emergencies in Texas. In May, their challenge was rejected by the state’s Supreme Court in a devastating blow to patients across Texas.

“We can’t forget that when abortion is ‘left up to the states,’ in places like Texas, that looks like forced sepsis, it looks like being forced to carry a fetus that is not going to be viable, and it means planning for a birth while at the same time, planning for a funeral,” said Former Under Secretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones, the first woman of color and LGBTQ+ individual to serve in this role, and a fearless advocate for reproductive freedom. “It’s inhumane, it’s cruel, and it is unnecessary. We can never forget that it does not have to be this way.”

“Here at the local-level, we will do everything we can to provide protection to Austinites,” said Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, who represents Austin’s second district on the City Council. Council Member Fuentes urged local officials across the country to do everything they can to protect access to abortion care in their communities, even as attacks escalate at the federal-level. “Even in a state like Texas, there are things that we can and should be doing. Don’t let anyone tell you that local leaders can’t step up.” In 2022, Council Member Fuentes co-sponsored the GRACE Act, legislation to protect access to abortion care for everyone in the city.

“My story mirrors that of many others and emphasizes that health care provision cannot conform to one-size-fits-all legislation,” said DakotaRei Frausto, a college student and reproductive justice organizer from San Antonio who was forced to travel to New Mexico for abortion care at age 17 after Senate Bill 8 took effect in Texas. Frausto warned that attacks on access to reproductive health care have far-reaching and devastating implications for everyone. “Any attack on ‘unfavorable’ health care access inevitably impacts all health care access.”

“Our power to fight these regressive abortion bans is in community. We know this, and those robbing us of our reproductive autonomy know this. It is why these laws are written to break apart support systems and to leave abortion seekers isolated, ” said Joslynn Sanchez, a Policy and Advocacy Manager with Deeds Not Words, an organization dedicated to galvanizing the power of young people to become agents of change igniting cultural shifts through leader development, grassroots organizing, and the power of creative expression. “But where lawmakers fail is where communities and young people have chosen to fill the gaps. And we will eradicate these gaps and lapses of freedoms by galvanizing the power of youth to create change and progress. We won’t go back!”

“The fight here in Texas is more than just a fight to restore access to safe and legal abortion – it’s about our freedom to decide if and when we want to have a family,” said Andrea Flores, a gender justice advocacy organizer with MOVE Texas, an organization dedicated to building the political power of young people in underrepresented communities. “Our energy, our passion, and our determination are unmatched, and we will continue to fight for a future where reproductive justice is a reality for all. The young people in Texas are the tipping point for the nation.” 

The “Ride to Decide” tour is headed to San Antonio, then Houston, Texas next, where local storytellers will spotlight the real-life impacts of abortion bans and attacks on reproductive freedom and share why federal action to protect access to abortion and reproductive health care has never been more important.

You can watch the event here. If you are interested in speaking with any of the participants in the press event, please contact kelly@freeandjust.us. 
Free & Just is committed to fighting for reproductive freedom. Join us in sharing stories, raising voices, and securing our future. 

###

Free & Just is fighting to stop attacks on reproductive freedom and rights. We’re working with people across the country to share real stories to show the devastating consequences of attacks on our reproductive freedom. We all deserve the right to control our bodies and lives. That’s why we’re sharing our stories, raising our voices, and fighting for our future.

At “Ride to Decide” Bus Tour Event in San Antonio, Councilwoman Cabello Havrda, Patients, and Local Advocates Spotlight Harms of Abortion Bans and Demand Federal Action to Protect Reproductive Freedom

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS –– Today, Free & Just’s “Ride to Decide'' national bus tour stopped in San Antonio to highlight what’s at stake as extremist lawmakers work to ban abortion nationwide. The Ride to Decide bus tour comes as attacks on reproductive freedom escalate across the country. Support for legal abortion has increased since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, but that hasn’t stopped anti-abortion extremists and conservative lawmakers from continuing to undermine Americans’ access to abortion care, birth control, and IVF treatment. 

At the event, local patient storytellers, youth activists, and community leaders shared how attacks on reproductive freedom harm women and families in Texas and across the country.

“We’re seeing abortion bans are being coupled with birth control bans, gender-affirming care bans, IVF bans, and even prenatal testing bans,” said DakotaRei Frausto, a college student and reproductive justice organizer from San Antonio who was forced to travel to New Mexico for abortion care at age 17 after Senate Bill 8 took effect in Texas. “The proposed legislation goes on-and-on. They were never going to stop at banning abortion.” 

“Because of what the state of Texas is doing, our city has become the frontline of reproductive justice,” said Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda, who represents District 6 on the San Antonio City Council. Councilwoman Cabello Havrda highlighted how the city is working to meet the needs of communities across San Antonio as attacks on access to reproductive health care escalate. “It’s about more than just abortion, these policies affect all of our communities for a lifetime.”

“The rights that we were promised as children are being taken away from us,” said Oli De Los Santos, a Communications Coordinator with San Marcos Abortion Activists, an organization dedicated to advocating for reproductive justice through direct action, community building, and mutual aid. Explaining why reproductive freedom is a priority for young people in Texas and across the country, De Los Santos added: “The rights we learned about are now gone. That is why so many young people are so motivated right now.”

“We’re already seeing reports of OBGYN students, who are graduating and looking at where to practice, and Texas is not on their list,” said Former Under Secretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones, a San Antonio resident, who highlighted how Texas’ extreme abortion ban is driving would-be providers away from communities where access to reproductive health care is already limited. “Frankly, the laws in Texas are making it impossible for providers to uphold their oath to ‘do no harm.’”  

“We are focused on the rights we had and lost,” said Anissa Mancias, a Campus Organizer with Texas Rising, which aims to build the power of young people in communities across Texas. Mancias shared how difficult it is being a young person in Texas, watching as extremist lawmakers erode their freedoms. “We want to be heard, we want our rights back.”

The “Ride to Decide” tour is headed to Houston, Texas next, where local storytellers will spotlight the real-life impacts of abortion bans and attacks on reproductive freedom and share why federal action to protect access to abortion and reproductive health care has never been more important.

You can watch the event here. If you are interested in speaking with any of the participants in the press event, please contact kelly@freeandjust.us. 
Free & Just is committed to fighting for reproductive freedom. Join us in sharing stories, raising voices, and securing our future. 

###

Free & Just is fighting to stop attacks on reproductive freedom and rights. We’re working with people across the country to share real stories to show the devastating consequences of attacks on our reproductive freedom. We all deserve the right to control our bodies and lives. That’s why we’re sharing our stories, raising our voices, and fighting for our future.

At “Ride to Decide” Bus Tour Event at Dallas Church That Helped “Jane Roe,” Patients Who Sued Texas Over State’s Abortion Ban Discuss What’s at Stake as Extremists Work to Ban Abortion Nationwide

DALLAS, TEXAS –– Today, Free & Just’s “Ride to Decide'' national bus tour stopped in Dallas for a roundtable event at the church that helped Jane Roe decades ago to highlight what’s at stake today as extremist lawmakers work to ban abortion nationwide. Amanda Zurawski and Lauren Miller, plaintiffs in Zurawski v. State of Texas, the first-of-its-kind legal challenge that sought to provide clarity for doctors and patients experiencing medical emergencies in Texas, joined Hollie Cunningham and religious leaders at the roundtable and shared their experience battling for reproductive freedom in Texas. 

“I was 18-weeks pregnant and, unfortunately, had complications that were irreversible. Rather than being given the care that I needed, which at the time would have been an abortion, I had to wait until I met one of the medical exceptions allowed under Texas law,” said Amanda Zurawski, who went into septic shock twice and nearly lost her life after being denied an abortion in 2022. “It’s not just my story I am sharing, it’s the story of so many others. The longer this goes on, the more harm and suffering will take place.” Zurawski sued the state of Texas, but her challenge was recently rejected by the state’s Supreme Court in a devastating blow to patients across Texas.

“My happy, healthy son Henry would not be here today if I had not gone out of state for an abortion,” said Lauren Miller, a mother who was forced to travel to Colorado for abortion in 2022 when she learned that one of the twin boys she was pregnant with had a number of fatal fetal conditions that threatened her life and the life of the other twin. “I was able to get the abortion that I needed, but it cost us thousands of dollars and three days of travel for a 15-minute procedure that I should have been able to get just two miles from where we are now.” 

Lauren joined Amanda and others as a plaintiff in Zurawski v. State of Texas, and she continues to fight so that no woman will be forced to endure what she did. Recently, Lauren shared her story with the House Ways and Means committee, but was frustrated by extremist lawmakers’ response.

"When I spoke to the House Ways and Means committee and told this story … I had just shared that story, and Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne, whose district we’re in, just flipped her hair and said “well I’m gonna get us back on topic here,” and turned to another speaker. “That should not be how a politician views her constituents. We should not be that irrelevant.”

“Even with a clear medical need, Texas law forced me to flee my home state to get the care that I desperately needed,” said Hollie Cunningham, who was forced to leave the state twice in one year for abortion care after receiving devastating fetal diagnoses in two pregnancies. “The pain and fear of being denied the care needed in my home state will stay with me forever. It breaks my heart knowing that there are other families out there suffering with similar situations who might not have the ability to travel to get the care they need.”

“My faith was central to my decision to have an abortion many years ago,” said Reverend Deneen Robinson, the Executive Director of Truth Pregnancy Resource Center, a non-profit organization founded with the support of the First Unitarian Church of Dallas. Reverend Robinson described her experience accessing abortion care as loving and “God-centric.” “Now, part of why I do this work is because I believe that everyone should lovingly receive the care that they need because choice is central to having a faith construct.”

“It is part of our DNA here at the First Unitarian Church of Dallas, to advocate for, and to lift up the voices of those fighting for the autonomy of their bodies, and for making the choices they want to make in this life,” said Reverend T. J. Fitzgerald, a Minister of Community Care and Community Engagement at the First Unitarian Church of Dallas. Reverend Fitzgerald described the church’s historic role in the movement for reproductive freedom, highlighting how “Jane Roe” met with church leaders in 1969. 

The Ride to Decide bus tour comes as attacks on reproductive freedom escalate across the country. Support for legal abortion has increased since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, but that hasn’t stopped anti-abortion extremists and conservative lawmakers from continuing to undermine Americans’ access to abortion care,  birth control, and IVF treatment. 

The “Ride to Decide” tour is headed to Austin and San Antonio, Texas next, where local storytellers will spotlight the real-life impacts of abortion bans and attacks on reproductive freedom and share why federal action to protect access to abortion and reproductive health care has never been more important.

You can watch the event here. If you are interested in speaking with any of the participants in the press event, please contact kelly@freeandjust.us. 
Free & Just is committed to fighting for reproductive freedom. Join us in sharing stories, raising voices, and securing our future. 

###

Free & Just is fighting to stop attacks on reproductive freedom and rights. We’re working with people across the country to share real stories to show the devastating consequences of attacks on our reproductive freedom. We all deserve the right to control our bodies and lives. That’s why we’re sharing our stories, raising our voices, and fighting for our future.