Last Tuesday, abortion supporters from across the state showed up to the Texas Capitol for Abortion Funds Advocacy Day. Texas abortion fund members and friends gathered to learn about everything happening at the Texas Legislature and how to talk to lawmakers about supporting reproductive justice issues.
We talked about our legislative priorities and the bills that impact reproductive justice values. These priorities included:
- Pregnant Texans deserve direct services and access to care without facing additional barriers, stigma, and shame.
- Texas should end the “Alternatives to Abortion” program.
- Reproductive health care, including contraception and abortion, should be covered under state Medicaid.
- Young people should be able to access health care without parental consent.
- Texas should expand Medicaid coverage to 12 months postpartum.
- Texas should allow doula service reimbursement under Medicaid for those that qualify.
- Pregnant Texans and Texans experiencing pregnancy loss should be protected and cared for, not subjected to surveillance, investigation, harassment, and criminalization.
- Texas should reject any attempts to codify fetal personhood.
- The state should not interfere with municipalities or locally-elected officials who deprioritize enforcing abortion restrictions.
- Texans should be able to raise their families in healthy, safe environments free from state interference.
- Trans children and young people deserve access to gender-affirming care.
We then had the chance to meet with our own senators and representatives to share why we care about these issues and how peoples’ lives have been impacted by abortion bans and other health care restrictions. We also dropped cards against SB 24 and explained how anti-abortion centers harm people and communities. People shared their stories, engaged in new advocacy strategies, and spoke to both friendly and anti-abortion legislators about reproductive justice for Texans. Overall, advocacy day was a huge success – thank you to our incredible abortion fund partners at Lilith Fund, Frontera Fund, TEA Fund, Afiya Center, and Jane’s Due Process for their work putting this event together and to our friends at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, Avow, and the ACLU for showing up to support!
