Congressman Lloyd Doggett, Local Lawmakers, Patients, and Providers Highlight Continued Attacks on Reproductive Freedom at Field Hearing

AUSTIN, TX –– Today, Congressman Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), joined by State Senator Sarah Eckhardt, State Representative Donna Howard, and Austin Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes, held a field hearing in Austin to hear from local patients, providers, and advocates as attacks on reproductive freedom continue to escalate in Texas and nationwide. Despite the devastating loss of at least 135 lives from the July 4 floods, Governor Abbott is calling on lawmakers to use the special session to roll back abortion access and reproductive care.

The field hearing was an important opportunity for Texans to share their stories, and voice their fears, concerns, and anger about ongoing attacks on reproductive freedom in Texas and across the country.

At the hearing, Congressman Doggett, patient storytellers, and community leaders shared how attacks on reproductive freedom harm women and families in Texas and across the country.

“I salute the many brave voices who publicly shared their painful experiences in pursuit of a day when no person is forced to the brink of death in order to receive lifesaving care,” said Congressman Doggett (TX-37). “As extremists work to enact a national abortion ban, Governor Abbott and the Texas GOP are rushing through a crooked map to rig elections and give Donald Trump five more Republican anti-choice, rubber-stamp votes for this cruel agenda. Texans will not be silenced while women’s health, our democracy, and our freedoms are at stake.” 

“During a Special Session that should be all about how we recover and become more resilient together, Republican state leaders have had their eyes on Washington instead of Texas, working overtime to complete a power grab that will further strip Texans of their voice in the halls of power,” said Senator Sarah Eckhardt (SD-14). “In the way of authoritarians, Republicans have ignored the years of proposals that have been brought forth to actually secure the autonomy, health, and life of women in this state in favor of control and entrapment. That is not what protection; that is political extremism hijacking democracy.”

“Today, we heard from Texans whose lives have been forever changed due to the state’s near-total abortion ban. They have been forced to endure trauma no person should have to endure,” said Texas Women’s Health Caucus Chair Donna Howard. “The fact is, Texas’ abortion laws are not about protecting women; they are deliberate steps towards control. If Texas Republicans want to protect women, then they should support laws that guarantee the right to access all forms of reproductive healthcare. Instead, Texas Republicans have passed laws meant to intimidate physicians, ban safe and essential abortion medication, and even incentivize private citizens to report others - sometimes just for giving someone gas money to get to an abortion facility. We have the power to change this, but to do that, we must elect a pro-abortion majority to the Texas Legislature. I will always stand firm in supporting a person’s right to bodily autonomy and self-determination.”

”Nobody should have to risk their life or dignity to receive healthcare,” said Austin Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes. “By weaponizing the Central Texas flood crisis, state leaders are sending a clear message that Texans' wellbeing will always come second to an agenda built on contempt and control over women. Their goal was never to preserve life, but to wield power over it. I’m grateful to the courageous leaders who spoke out today. Their bravery only underscores the fear-driven cowardice of far too many state leaders.”

“Texas’ abortion ban is putting patients, and the providers who treat them, in impossible, sometimes life-threatening positions. Women are dying, families are suffering, and medical professionals’ hands are being tied,” said Dr. Donnell Oliver, a local OB/GYN based in the Austin area. “I speak to Austin women every week who fear being pregnant in our state. Patients ask if they need to leave the state to have their babies to make sure they are alive to care for them. This is not an exaggeration, it is a painful fact. My patients will always come first, and I am pleading with the state of Texas to let me do my job – to save lives – without political interference.” 

Today’s hearing kicks off Free & Just’s “Summer Storytelling Series,” featuring patient storytellers, local partners, and lawmakers in communities across the country to amplify the human cost of abortion bans. Next week, Free & Just will be joined by Senator Patty Murray in Seattle, Washington for a roundtable with local patients, providers, and advocates impacted by attacks on reproductive freedom.

You can watch the event here. If you are interested in speaking with any of the participants in the press event, or learning more about Free & Just’s “Summer Storytelling Series,” please contact kelly@freeandjust.us.

###