The decision to overturn Roe v. Wade would be a devastating blow to those who need this vital healthcare, and the extremely radical brief the world is now seeing shows why it’s up to us to fight back to protect safe and legal access to abortion and all of our constitutional rights. Today, abortion is still legal. Regardless of the shameless actions that may come from our nation’s highest court. We know that most Texans and the majority of the country oppose abortion bans. Still, far-right politicians continue using our bodies for political power and control. […]
Reproductive Rights
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States released a ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. Today, abortion is banned in Texas except under very limited exceptions — and to make things worse, anti-abortion extremists are going after mifepristone, one of the pills used in medication abortion.
While there is much uncertainty about our reproductive rights in post-Roe America, there is one thing we do know: Our fight to make abortion permanently legal, safe, and accessible for everyone cannot and will not stop.
Texas Freedom Network supports efforts to ensure all Texans have access to abortion and other reproductive health care services. That access requires adequate state funding and the broad availability of birth control, especially for underpaid Texans.
Resources
- Texas Freedom Network’s Post-Roe Info + Action Center
- Just Texas: Faith Voices for Reproductive Justice
- Texans Stand Up for Access to Birth Control: Results from a Statewide Survey of Texas Voters (2013 report)
- Sex Education in Public Schools: Progress in the Lone Star State (2011 report)
- Just Say Don’t Know: Sex Education in Texas Public Schools (2009 report)
Beyond Believing Survivors: Turning Awareness into Action
April is Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention Month, giving us the intentional space to join together as a community to go beyond believing survivors and turn awareness into action. We all have a part to play in supporting survivors, uplifting their voices, believing them, and de-stigmatizing the way we talk about sexual assault in our everyday lives. But one of the most powerful ways we can shift the cultural response to sexual assault and the treatment of survivors is to support and champion legislation and community initiatives that provide tangible resources and unburden the path to justice and healing for all survivors. […]
Abortion Bans Harm Pregnant People Who Deserve Healthcare–Not Jail
The fear and stigma created by abortion bans like SB8 harm ALL pregnant people–people like Lizelle Herrera, a 26-year-old in Rio Grande City who was arrested and jailed for “the death of an individual by self-induced abortion.” The charges, which have now been dismissed, had no legal merit. While we’re relieved by this outcome, Herrera’s life is forever changed and the harm to her and her family cannot be undone. She deserved healthcare, not jail. […]
“Shouting Down Midnight”: How Wendy Davis, Carole Wall, & Sadie Hernandez Found Hope, Built Movements, and Inspired Generations of Activists
At face value, Shouting Down Midnight was about Davis’ historic 2013 filibuster to prevent a vote on SB 5, which would’ve wiped out access to abortion for most Texans. The 13-hour speech, which required Wendy to have a catheter inserted the morning of, is more than worthy of the praise and space of a documentary–but this day was about so much more, and so is Shouting Down Midnight. June 25, 2013, was about the collective power we hold as a community. The movements we can power with our rage. The change that can be harnessed through hope. […]
As Texas Previews a ‘Post-Roe World,’ Abortion Providers Deserve More Than Our Gratitude.
March 10th is National Abortion Provider Appreciation Day—and as we celebrate the vital work of the medical professionals who continually show up with compassion for patients in need of health care, it’s impossible to ignore that Texans are effectively living in a post-Roe world. Abortion providers deserve more than our gratitude. They need our support. […]
