Statement: Post-Roe, Our Communities Will Continue to Build Power and Support Abortion Access for All

AUSTIN, Texas – The Supreme Court of the United States today released a ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. Within 30 days, abortion care will be banned in the state of Texas.

Texas Freedom Network President Val Benavidez issued the following response​:

“For years, we have known that the day when abortion access would be challenged, and possibly stolen, at the Supreme Court was coming. Still, it is devastating to learn that the far-right’s totalitarian vision for the future has come to fruition with the U.S. Supreme Court’s official ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade.

“We know that the majority of the country opposes abortion bans, but far-right politicians continue to criminalize and weaponize our bodies for political power and control–a tactic we’re all too familiar with in Texas, where a six-week abortion ban has been in effect since September 2021. We also know that while Roe deserved to be protected, legality alone has never been enough to provide equitable access to abortion care for Black, rural, LGBTQIA+, and other historically marginalized communities. We will never stop fighting for policies that let all people know they are trusted to make their own pregnancy decisions. 

“Abortion is healthcare and it should be a protected, accessible right for everyone. While today we mourn this loss and the Court’s failure, we must transform our grief into action by caring for our communities, taking our rage to the ballot box, and continuing to fight in the courts, in Congress, and at the state legislature for changes that protect our right to abortion once and for all.”