State Senator Sarah Eckhardt, Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes and Local Advocates Join Free & Just to Mark Third Anniversary of Deadly Dobbs Decision
Austin, TX –– Today, Senator Sarah Eckhardt, Austin Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes, and local patient storytellers joined Free & Just for an event to mark the third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s deadly Dobbs decision, which ripped away the right to safe and legal abortion. In the years since, attacks on reproductive freedom have continued to escalate, and women across the country have lost their lives as a result of abortion bans and restrictions.
Throughout June, Free & Just is partnering with storytellers, advocates, and local organizations to amplify the human cost of attacks on access to reproductive health care, honor the lives of those lost to cruel abortion bans, and highlight what's at stake as Trump and Republicans in Congress work to roll back our rights even further.
At the event, patient storytellers and community leaders shared how attacks on reproductive freedom harm women and families in Texas and across the country.
“Three years ago, the Dobbs decision gutted Roe v. Wade and ushered in a wave of cruel, calculated attacks on reproductive health care, especially in states like Texas. The consequences have been devastating,” said Austin Mayor ProTem Vanessa Fuentes, who is leading the effort to support women forced to travel out of Texas for abortion care. “Here in Austin, we will still do everything we can at the local level to uphold our values, to support our people, and to make clear that the medical decisions belong to you and your doctor, and only you and your doctor.”
“We've entered an era where our government no longer seeks to reflect the will of the people. Our state leadership gleefully stripped us of our right to bodily autonomy, a right that is overwhelmingly supported in a bipartisan fashion,” said State Senator Sarah Eckhardt, who represents District 14. “There is nothing patriotic about increasing the fertility rate by force…there is nothing Christian or compassionate about withholding basic life-saving medical treatment from a pregnant person.”
“I was fortunate to receive the care I needed, which allowed me to go on to have healthy pregnancies. Yet in Texas today, that critical care is not always guaranteed,” said Jessica, a patient and mother from Austin. “Pregnancy demands the unwavering support and expertise of doctors, nurses, midwives,and doulas - to ensure every woman receives compassionate, comprehensive, reproductive health care. Texas public policy must champion these protections, not dismantle them.”
“When I think of the Dobbs decision and all of the things that have happened in the last three years, I think of women like Adriana Smith, who cannot make her own decisions, and is currently being violated by the government. Although these are horrible details to face, it is the reality that we are facing not only in the South but across the United States because of the Dobbs decision,” said Joslynn Sanchez, a Policy and Advocacy Manager with Deeds Not Words, an organization dedicated to empowering Texas youth.
“When I was pregnant with twins, I learned that one of the babies had a fatal fetal anomaly which made a hole in his heart so big that doctors told me that no ethical surgeon would ever operate. Our only choice to reduce the risk to me and my surviving son was to have an abortion. But Texas Republicans had already decided that I would not get that care,” said Sarah Harrison, a patient from Texas who spoke candidly about how so-called "exceptions" to the state’s cruel abortion ban do not actually work. “Instead, Texas Republicans forced me to find a new doctor out of state, make arrangements to travel there, and endure a difficult procedure far from home. Texas Republicans are no doubt aware of circumstances like mine but they did not legislate an exception into the law. Why? Because their laws are fundamentally about the control of women, not the protection of babies.”
“My baby had a lethal genetic anomaly and I was told that if he made it to birth, he would suffocate. But because of Texas law I was denied the ability to take care of my child the way his father and I felt was the most compassionate and aligned with our values,” said Katilyn Kash, a patient from Austin and former plaintiff in Zurawski v. Texas. “We are living proof of what happens without federal protections. This isn't about choice. It's about access. It's about a government deciding what health care you can get based on its own morality, not medical need.”
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.