By: Bayliss Wagner
The courtroom was full for the hourlong hearing, attended by many of the plaintiffs in the case as well as their husbands and some family members. Several Texas Alliance for Life representatives also attended.
By: Meredith Aldis
Statistics show the year before Roe v. Wade was overturned, more than 50,000 abortions were performed legally in Texas. After the decision, 44 were performed due to medical emergency.
“Protection for unborn babies should continue. This includes babies with a disability or fatal diagnosis in utero,” Texas Alliance for Life Amy O’Donnell said.
MORE: Austin couple travels out of Texas to get ‘medically-necessary’ abortion
The lawsuit is asking the court to clarify Texas’ abortion laws, alleging the vague language leaves doctors unable or unwilling to administer abortion care, forcing patients to seek treatment out of state or wait until their lives are in danger.
“While there are technically medical exceptions to the bans, no one knows what it means and the state won’t tell us,” Center for Reproductive Rights Molly Duane said.
By: Ryan Chandler
Texas Alliance for Life pointed to data from Texas Health and Human Services that shows 41 abortions have been performed under the ban’s medical exceptions since the ban went into effect.
“We know that doctors are intervening and they are not being disciplined or prosecuted for that intervention,” Texas Alliance for Life’s Amy O’Donnell said. “There is nothing in law that says a woman’s death has to be imminent that she has to become septic or that her baby’s heart has to stop beating before a doctor can intervene and exercise reasonable medical judgment to save the life of the mother.”
By: Melanie Torre
The Texas Alliance for Life pushed back saying any clarification on the law should come from the Texas Medical Board.
“We are here today because we support the pro-life laws in Texas and we believe the language is adequate to protect a mother’s life,” said Amy O’Donnell, communications director for the Texas Alliance for Life. The organization’s policy analyst, Deirdre Cooper, said she had been in the same shoes as some of the women suing the state, but she does not regret seeing her baby’s fatal trisomy 18 diagnosis to the end—even if her son did not survive.
“Abortion robs that child of the chance at life– no matter how short. It robs the child of the chance of a miracle or the chance that the medical diagnosis is wrong,” Cooper said. “People think these are such difficult situations, but I disagree. There is nothing difficult about not killing your child– no matter his diagnosis,” she added.
By: Ingrid Valero Rivero
La Alianza de Texas por la Vida también acudió a la audiencia para respaldar la restricción: “La demanda busca ampliar significativamente las razones para permitir abortos en nuestro estado, poniendo en riesgo las vidas de miles de bebés no nacidos en Texas cada año”, dijo Amy O’ Donnell, directora de comunicación de la organización.
By: Chris Woodward
Amy O’Donnell, communications director at Texas Alliance for Life, says, “Our hearts go out to the women, but we will keep doing everything that we need to do to protect life and keep any weakening exceptions from being added on to our laws in Texas.”
“It’s unfortunate that the Center for Reproductive Rights is using these women’s truly heartbreaking stories to try to gain political ground to increase the number of abortions that can happen in the state of Texas beyond what the legislature allows,” O’Donnell adds.