Free & Just Statement on Preventable Death of Tierra Walker, Mother Killed by Texas Abortion Ban
Walker’s death is the fourth attributed to state’s abortion ban.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, ProPublica reported on the preventable death of Texas mother, Tierra La'Nesa Walker, 37, who lost her life as a result of the state’s extreme abortion ban. Walker, who was a wife and mother to a 14-year-old son, died of complications from preeclampsia after being denied care under the abortion ban at medical facilities across the state. Texas has some of the strictest abortion laws in the country, and Walker’s death is the fourth attributed to the state’s near total ban.
In September, Texas Republicans passed sweeping new legislation cracking down on abortion care even further. The new law, which takes effect on December 4, goes far beyond any restrictions before it by allowing private citizens to sue anyone who provides patients in Texas with abortion medication, including health care professionals and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Experts warn that other states could follow Texas’ lead and enact deadly new abortion bans of their own – at the cost of many more lives.
In response to today’s reporting, Veronica Ingham, Senior Campaigns Director for Free & Just released the following statement:
“Tierra La'Nesa Walker should be here today, and we extend our deepest condolences to her family, her loved ones, and the entire San Antonio community. In the years since the deadly Dobbs decision, abortion bans have cost women across the country their lives. Instead of taking action to protect families, Republican lawmakers are making pregnancy more dangerous for women in Texas and punishing people in need of care. Tierra Walker’s life will unfortunately not be the last lost to an abortion ban.”
BACKGROUND:
Abortion bans are killing women across the country, and at least four women have died in Texas as a result of the state’s abortion ban. These are just the deaths we know of.
Texas is a testing ground for some of the most nefarious abortion policies in the country and has a long track record of being a dangerous place to be pregnant and give birth. Experts say it has only become more perilous since Trump has taken office and growing medical research supports this reality, with worse health outcomes being reported for Texas mothers and babies since abortion bans were enacted.
Research has found that after Texas banned abortion care in the aftermath of Dobbs in August 2022, women required more lifesaving care in the forms of blood transfusions, treatment for miscarriages, and hospital visits — signaling how abortion bans are hurting the wellbeing of women and patients at large.
The rate of sepsis — a life-threatening reaction to infection – has shot up more than 50% for women in their second trimester hospitalized for losing their pregnancies after Texas banned abortion in 2021.
Physician storytellers specializing in OB-GYN, maternal-fetal medicine, reproductive endocrinology and infertility, neonatology and emergency medicine have shared tragic stories of how they weren’t able to provide lifesaving care within their expertise and training. Doctors also described medical decision-making being influenced by the threat of criminalization due to abortion bans in the state.
If you are interested in speaking with local patient storytellers, health care providers, or families impacted by ongoing attacks on access to abortion care, please contact kelly@freeandjust.us.
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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.