Austin couple Amanda and Josh Zurawski put a Texas face on the case for protecting abortion access Monday as they took the stage on the Democratic National Convention’s opening night.
A video introduction featured Amanda emotionally recounting the pregnancy complications that meant daughter Willow was certain to die. Even so, she said, doctors declined treatment because of the state’s strict abortion ban that went into effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade.
Instead, Zurawski was sent home to wait and ended up back in the hospital days later with an infection that nearly killed her and threatened her fertility. She and other Texas women sued the state saying the law put their health at risk.
The video included a clip of former President Donald Trump proudly taking credit for the overturning Roe vs. Wade.
“I almost died because doctors were forced to follow Trump’s abortion ban,” Zurawski said in the video, which also featured Vice President Kamala Harris vowing to sign a law protecting abortion access nationwide.
Amanda and Josh Zurawski then spoke live on stage about the fear they had felt, saying a second Trump term could mean more restrictions on abortion access.
“We need to vote as if lives depend on it, because they do,” Amanda Zurawski said.
This week’s convention in Chicago is expected to heavily feature Democratic promises to protect abortion rights as the party rallies behind Harris as its newly elevated nominee.
Democrats say Trump is responsible for tight abortion restrictions or outright bans in many states because he nominated three conservative Supreme Court justices who provided the margin for overturning Roe vs. Wade.
Texas is among 14 states that outlaw abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
Texas has a medical emergency exception that allows an abortion to save the life of a pregnant person or alleviate the risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function, but critics have said the language is so vague that it has put women such as Zurawski in danger.
Zurawski took the stage Monday night alongside two women whose traumatic pregnancy experiences also have been featured in Democratic campaigns: Kaitlyn Joshua of Louisiana and Hadley Duvall of Kentucky.
Joshua, who has been featured in a Biden ad, blamed Louisiana’s abortion ban for being turned away from two emergency rooms while having a miscarriage.
Duvall spoke next, recounting how she became pregnant at age 12 after being raped by her stepfather.
“That was the first time I was ever told you have options,” she said. “I can’t imagine not having a choice, but today, that’s the reality for many women and girls across the country because of Donald Trump’s abortion bans.”
Zurawski has previously shared her story in several forums, testifying on Capitol Hill and attending the 2023 State of the Union address as a guest of first lady Jill Biden.
Zurawski also was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit brought against the state by Texas women who said they had abortions delayed or denied during medical emergencies because of the state’s restrictions.
The Texas Supreme Court ruled against them in May, striking down a lower court ruling that would have exempted such pregnancies from the state’s laws.
The Biden campaign released an ad in April featuring Zurawski in which she sobbed about losing Willow. The ad ended with the words, “Donald Trump did this.”
Trump has said he is “proudly the person responsible” for overturning Roe and that abortion law should be determined by the states.
He has shown he’s aware of potential vulnerability on the issue. Republicans tweaked their official platform at his urging to remove language about a national abortion ban. He did not mention abortion once during his lengthy acceptance speech at last month’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Abortion rights have featured heavily in down-ballot races as well, including U.S. Rep. Colin Allred’s challenge to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
Allred, D-Dallas, has targeted Cruz’s support for abortion restrictions and highlighted stories like Zurawski’s, saying the way to restore a nationwide right to abortion involves defeating Cruz.
Cruz has countered by saying Democrats are out of touch by refusing to back any limits on abortion.
Reproductive rights will be a focus of this week’s convention away from the stage as well. A mobile Planned Parenthood health center will be parked near the convention and offer free medication abortions and vasectomies. There also were plans to display a 18-foot-tall IUD.
During his Monday podcast, Cruz cited the offer of free abortions as evidence the Democratic Party has moved far from when former President Bill Clinton said he wanted abortion to be “safe, legal and rare,” and instead become “zealots” on the issue.
“That is just how extreme the Democrat Party has gone,” Cruz said.
FOX 7 Austin’s Dennis de la Pena and producer Julian Martinez talk about the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup between the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes!
ARLINGTON, Texas – The Texas Longhorns and Ohio State Buckeyes will face off in Arlington, Texas on Friday in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
The winner of the game between Texas (13-2) and Ohio State (12-2) will go on to play Notre Dame in the national championship.
Neither quarterback in this game is a stranger to playing in Arlington.
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard and Ewers both won Big 12 championships the last time they played at AT&T Stadium.
Texas won the Big 12 in its last season in the conference last year. Howard transferred to Ohio State from Kansas State. He led the Wildcats to a Big 12 championship win over then-undefeated TCU two years ago.
The best matchup of the game could be Texas All-American senior cornerback Jahdae Barron vs. standout Buckeyes freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith. Barron won the Thorpe Award, which is given to the nation’s top defensive back. But Barron gives up four inches and 15 pounds to Smith, the second-team All-American who may be the most electric freshman in the country. Smith has 70 receptions for 1,224 yards and 14 touchdowns. Smith has four touchdowns in these playoffs.
Predictions are made by the Data Skrive betting model.
FOX Sports Analyst Joel Klatt went with Ohio State in his prediction for the Cotton Bowl. Klatt says the Buckeyes are playing the best football in the country right now and the fact that the game is being played in Texas is keeping the line (Texas +6) lower than it should be.
The winner of the Longhorns and Buckeyes game will take on Notre Dame in the championship game.
The game will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, where the Longhorns played in the SEC Championship and against Arizona State in the College football playoff.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the College Football Playoff, the Associated Press and FOX Sports.
TEXAS — The 89th Texas Legislature will start on Jan. 14 with 181 lawmakers.
The House of Representatives’ organization will be managed by Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson, who will also select temporary officers. The Secretary leads until a Speaker of the House is elected.
Secretary Nelson announced that Walter Fisher and Sharon Carter were appointed as parliamentarians for the House’s session inauguration.
“This is a duo with extensive parliamentary knowledge and the experience to guide the opening of the 89th Legislative Session,” said Secretary Nelson. “With the support of these individuals, we will make sure the organizing of the House is a fair, transparent and orderly process.”
The 150 members of the Texas House of Representatives and the 31 members of the Texas Senate will be sworn in as the 89th Legislature on Tuesday. The legislature will meet until June 2.
You are able to watch the Senate proceedings on opening day at this website.
This story is part of the KXAN Data Hub, where numbers help tell the whole story.
We’ve created several data-driven stories and databases on topics including weather and climate, politics, education, sports and growth in Texas. Each story in the KXAN Data Hub is updated as new data becomes available.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — KXAN is keeping track of the number of homicides in Austin.
As of Jan. 9, two homicides have been reported thus far in 2025.
Last year, 70 homicides were reported, down from 75 in 2023 and 71 in 2022. A record 88 homicides were reported in 2021.
The charts below will be updated as we learn new information. Scroll down for a map of where each homicide occurred.
The chart below shows how the number of homicides reported in recent years changed through the year.
Below is a map showing where homicides occurred in 2025. The map is interactive, so clicking on or hovering over a dot will reveal information about that incident. You can also click on a month in the top left to show only homicides that occurred during that month.
The chart below shows the number of homicides reported each month in 2025.
These are the top 7 issues facing the struggling restaurant industry in 2025
The 25 worst losses in college football history, including Baylor’s 2024 entry at Colorado
The top out-of-contract players available as free transfers: Kimmich, De Bruyne, Van Dijk…
New Orleans attacker had 'remote detonator' for explosives in French Quarter, Biden says
Carter's judicial picks reshaped the federal bench across the country
Who Are the Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
Ozempic ‘microdosing’ is the new weight-loss trend: Should you try it?
Ivory Coast says French troops to leave country after decades
