Patients Who Sued Texas Over Abortion Ban Set the Record Straight as Dangerous Abortion Bills Move Through State Legislature
TEXAS –– Today, a handful of women denied medical care under Texas’ extreme abortion ban joined Free & Just to speak out against dangerous bills moving through the Texas Legislature — measures that would further harm patients and providers across the state.
Ashley Brandt, Kaitlyn Kash, Lauren Miller, Taylor Edwards, Samantha Casiano, Jessica Bernardo, and Hollie Cunningham called out Texas lawmakers for rebranding Texas’ cruel abortion ban while quietly pushing new laws that go even further — punishing patients, providers, and families seeking care. On Friday, plaintiffs from the landmark Zurawski v. Texas lawsuit and their families sent a letter to the legislature urging lawmakers to take their concerns about bills celebrated as a “fix” to the state’s deadly abortion ban seriously.
“When these bills (SB31/HR44) were filed, some of us thought that there was hope, and that maybe our stories did something – and then we read them,” said Kaitlyn Kash, a mother based in Austin and a former plaintiff in Zurawski v. Texas, who was denied care in Texas. “We realized this legislation is not what it is being sold as, and as storytellers who have come forward publicly, we knew we had to speak out. We are fed up and tired of the state treating us this way.”
“I am worried that lawmakers are not listening to the people who are actually impacted by these laws,” said Taylor Edwards, an Austin-area mother and former plaintiff in Zurawski v. Texas, who was forced to travel to Colorado for care when she learned that her baby had a severe brain abnormality. Edwards and others have testified at hearings on SB31 and HB44, but worry that lawmakers are not taking their concerns seriously. “I don’t feel that I can trust what’s being said, and I fear that lawmakers’ true intentions are to make empty promises and distract from the actions taken to trample on the rights of women in Texas.”
“The average Texan doesn’t realize that so-called ‘medical exceptions’ don’t work until someone they love ends up in an impossible situation,” said Ashley Brandt, a former plaintiff in Zurawski v. Texas, who was forced to travel out-of-state for care when one of the twins she was pregnant with was diagnosed with a fatal condition that threatened both Ashley and the healthy baby she was carrying. Brandt warned that the legislation moving through the Texas legislature right now would criminalize patients and families like hers, making a devastating loss even more painful to navigate. “If Texas politicians want our trust, they need to trust those who have experienced these situations and know what this legislation would mean for us and our loved ones. Texas can do better.”
“Texas has become a dangerous place for pregnant women and the people who love them,” said Hollie Cunningham of Dallas, who was forced to leave the state twice in one year for two non-viable pregnancies with the same fetal diagnosis. “Lawmakers have heard our stories and seen our tears, and still they have nothing. Our pain is being met with silence. No family should be pushed to the brink or threatened with prosecution because lawmakers refuse to act.”
“We are real people, and we are standing together because we want to protect other families from the trauma we’ve suffered,” said Samantha Casiano, a former plaintiff in Zurawski v. Texas, and 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. According to Casiano, the legislation some are celebrating as an effort to protect women would not help patients like her or prevent the suffering that her daughter was forced to endure. “These are private family matters, and it’s scary that lawmakers want to intervene, and even potentially punish patients like me.”
“The way these bills are written right now force women like me to endure the torture of nonviable pregnancies,” said Lauren Miller, a former plaintiff in Zurawski v. Texas, and a mother who described feeling “hunted” by the state of Texas when she traveled to Colorado for care she was denied at home. Miller blasted extremist lawmakers for attempting to distract Texans with SB31 and HB44 while advancing dangerous legislation that would criminalize patients and doctors. “We are fighting for scraps here. How many times do we have to stand up and beg for our most basic rights?”
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 read the letter sent by the plaintiffs in Zurawski v. Texas to Texas lawmakers last week here.
###
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.