Dallas, TX
Women who sued Texas over abortion law share stories in Dallas
Women who sued Texas over abortion law speak
On Monday, three women who sued the state for the right to get an abortion held a panel discussion at the First Unitarian Church of Dallas.
DALLAS – A key issue in the upcoming presidential election centers around abortion and a woman’s right to choose.
Texas is one of several states that have passed a strict abortion ban, with medical exceptions that opponents argue are confusing.
On Monday, three women who sued the state for the right to get an abortion held a panel discussion at the First Unitarian Church of Dallas.
“My babies had a condition where their brains were not developed, and it was 100 percent fatal,” said Hollie Cunningham.
Cunningham, Amanda Zurawksi and Lauren Miller were three of the original plaintiffs in Zurawski v. The State of Texas. The first-of-its-kind legal challenge sought to provide clarity for doctors and patients experiencing medical emergencies in Texas.
The woman participated in a roundtable to share their experience battling for reproductive freedom in Texas.
“The infuriating part is that as we come together and scream louder and louder about these bans, politicians in Texas still aren’t doing anything,” said Miller.
Miller recalled having to fly to Colorado while she was extremely ill.
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Lauren Miller of Dallas shared her story about traveling to Colorado to get an abortion due to Texas’ ban.
She needed an abortion in order to save her twin son’s life.
“We went through security and I remember just staring down at the terrazzo floors at Love Field, rolling my shoulders forward, sucking my stomach in, because I was visibly pregnant at that point, hoping no one would see us and pull us out of line and ask why I was going to Colorado,” she said.
The discussion is part of a national bus tour by the reproductive rights group Free and Just. They call the tour the “Ride to Decide.”
The women say they’re concerned about a potential national abortion ban, depending on who is elected president on November 5th.
“Abortion is healthcare and reproductive rights are human rights,” said Zurawksi.
The stop in Dallas is the first on the tour.
They’re trying to steer clear of politics, but that is tough to do.
“There is an election this year and if this is an issue that speaks to you, that you really care about, educate yourself on the candidates who are pro-choice and show up and vote for them,” said Zurawksi.
The “Ride to Decide” tour is headed to Austin and San Antonio next where local women will continue to share their personal stories in hopes of regaining access to abortion care and reproductive rights.