With just days before polls close in the 2024 elections, art on display in east Austin, Texas, declares, “You can’t control us. You can’t stop us.”

Designed and created by artist Deborah Vanko after the fall of Roe v. Wade, the art piece “This Is My Body” is part of Vanko’s collection, The Personal Is Political, on display at the Lydia Street Gallery in Austin until Nov. 17. (A sister display by Sarah Hirneisen, Heirlooms, is also available for viewing until mid-November.)

“I am a feminist artist who has been making art for over 45 years. I take on the issues of the female experience of love, sex, romantic relationships, discrimination and power,” said Vanko, who is also a psychotherapist and founding member of nonprofit arts organization Women and Their Work. “The empowerment I am speaking of is of sexual liberation and societal liberation.”

In the ongoing election, the gender gap—the measurable difference between women and men in public opinion polling and in voting—is set to break records, with Vice President Kamala Harris leading former President Donald Trump by double digits with women. As Jodi Enda wrote for Ms., “This election, it’s women’s choice.”

Today, two abortion bans are in effect in the state of Texas.

• In September 2021, SB 8 became law—the six-week ban with a “bounty hunter” provision. At the time SB 8 took effect, it was considered the most restrictive abortion ban to ever take effect in the U.S. 
• The second is the Human Life Protection Act, colloquially known as the trigger ban, a total abortion ban which took effect shortly after the fall of Roe. The law makes performing an abortion from the moment of fertilization a felony. Violators of the law face punishments that include life in prison and a civil penalty of not less than $100,000, plus attorney’s fees.

In the past week, we’ve learned of at least two Texas women who died after doctors delayed emergency abortion care. Cases like these highlight just how crucial down-ballot legislative races and state Supreme Court races are. In Texas, three state Supreme Court seats are up for grabs. These elections could help determine the future of abortion access—and potentially save the lives of women.

Currently, all the justices on Texas’ state Supreme Court are Republicans. But even in a state with a Republican-dominated state legislature, electing Democratic justices is possible. We saw this happen last year in Wisconsin, when the court finally reached a Democratic majority with the election of Judge Janet Protasiewicz. Since then, the high court has rolled back the state’s 1849 abortion ban, ruled in favor of drawing new, non-gerrymandered electoral maps, and more.

At Ms. magazine, our mission is to deliver facts about the feminist movement (and those who stand in its way) and foster informed discussions—not to tell you who to vote for or what to think. We believe in empowering our readers to form their own opinions based on reliable reporting. To continue providing you with independent feminist journalism, we rely on the generous support of our readers. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today if you value the work we do and want to see it continue. Thank you for supporting women’s voices and rights.

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