‘Taking away a safety net’: How Texas further restricted Austinites’ access to abortion health care | KXAN

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By: Sally Edwards

The Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 33, which prohibits local governments from using taxpayer dollars on abortion-related expenses, just months after Austin’s fund was established. The bill, which supporters say help standardize the state’s policies to reflect Texan’s pro-life beliefs, effectively abolishes Austin’s fund.

“Texas has made it clear through our elected officials that we’re a pro-life state and taxpayer funding for abortion travel or logistics violates both the law and the will of the people,” said Amy O’Donnell, a spokesperson for pro-life nonprofit Texas Alliance for Life.

War on Women Report: Trump Slashes Sexual Violence Prevention; GOP Targets Teens’ Repro Rights; Nebraska Abortion Funeral Bill Threatens Miscarriage Care | Ms. Magazine

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By: Ava Slocum and Cat Ross

New legislation from Florida and Texas is making it harder than ever for teenagers to access reproductive healthcare.

Texas
At the beginning of April, Texas Republicans introduced SB 2352, a bill targeting anyone who helps a teenager obtain an out-of-state abortion. (Texas is one of 12 states with total abortion bans.) SB 2352 would make it a second-degree felony to help anyone under the age of 18 travel out of state for an abortion, whether by transporting the minor or funding their travel (such as by giving them money for gas).

Amy O’Donnell from antiabortion organization Texas Alliance for Life said the bill “is really just about protecting children.” However, Lucie Aravallo from the nonprofit Jane’s Due Process—which provides financial support and travel assistance to Texas teens (17 or younger) for abortion in states where it is legal—said the bill effectively takes community support away from teenagers: “Especially for young people that are in unsafe family systems, are in juvenile detention or in the current foster care system, this bill will currently limit any ability that they have to access abortion care, even out of state. We cannot believe that, with all of the problems the state is facing, that they are choosing to make it even harder for young people to access necessary care.”

Majority of San Antonio City Council supports using tax dollars for out-of-state abortion travel | Texas Public Radio

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By: Josh Peck

Whyte, Bexar County Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant Moody, and a staff member from U.S. Congressman Tony Gonzales’ office stood with representatives from Texas Alliance for Life after the meeting ended to voice their opposition.

Whyte, who abstained on last year’s city budget vote because of the Reproductive Justice Fund, took a firm stand during the city council discussion.

“Depending on the comments of my fellow council members, we have an opportunity to avoid what I believe would be a really dark, dark day in the history of the city of San Antonio later this fall,” he said. “And that would be if we vote to approve any contract that uses public dollars to promote abortion services.”

Mothers and doctors challenge abortion law at Texas Supreme Court; ABC-7 examines mental health impacts | ABC 7

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By: Avery Martinez

Texas Alliance for Life, which was directly involved in the legislation around abortion laws in Texas says their stance on the law is on ethical concerns — and worries that a special interest group is trying to circumvent legislation passed by elected representatives through the courts.

Mental health for women can be directly impacted by childbirth — most famously through postpartum depression. It can happen to any woman — even after a miscarriage or stillbirth. Research from the National Institutes of Health show that as many as 20% of mothers can experience postpartum symptoms.

Texas’ abortion travel bans face a constitutional challenge | THE WEEK

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By: Joel Mathis

‘A deep breath’
There are some skeptics of the new ordinances in the anti-abortion movement. World, a conservative Christian news site, reported that one doubter is Paul Linton, special counsel for Texas Alliance for Life. He said a travel ban “in large ­measure, is unconstitutional” because of the right to travel. Then again, it’s not clear whom pro-choice groups might sue in order to overturn the ordinances: Like the state’s abortion ban, the travel bans are designed to be enforced not by government officials but by private individuals suing in civil courts.