FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 31, 2023
CONTACT: Imelda Mejia, 512-212-1758, [email protected]
EL PASO, Texas – The El Paso City Council today voted 7-1 to pass the GRACE Act, stating that police will deprioritize investigations into people who may have obtained an abortion and medical providers suspected of providing one.
Texas Freedom Network and its project, Texas Rising, advocated for passing of the GRACE Act in El Paso and Austin last year.
Texas Rising Regional Field Coordinator in El Paso, Ivonne Diaz, had the following reaction:
“This is a clear win for the community and voters of El Paso. We need policies that will empower Texans to raise their families in healthy, safe and supportive communities for all, not policies that restrict our freedoms. The GRACE Act is an important step in helping our communities right now, but there is still a lot more work to do to reinstate abortion access in Texas. By speaking up at the city council, testifying at the Capitol, and voting in elections, we’ll make sure to create a Texas that respects our decisions.”
The GRACE Act was previously voted down by the council in 2022, but new council members elected in November brought up the matter again. Texas Rising Action endorsed Art Fierro, who supported the measure.
Sabrina Bustillos with TFN and Ivonne Diaz with Texas Rising testified at the meeting. A copy of their testimony can be found here:
Ivonne Diaz: https://tfn.org/el-paso-grace-act-testimony-ivonne-diaz/
Sabrina Bustillos: https://tfn.org/el-paso-grace-act-testimony-sabrina-bustillos/
