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.
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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.