Washington, D.C. – This week, Republican Texas lawmakers enacted a near-total ban on statewide abortions after the Supreme Court refused to block Senate Bill 8, a law prohibiting abortion care after six weeks of pregnancy.
Greisa Martinez Rosas, Executive Director of United We Dream, said:
“As a queer, undocumented woman of color who grew up in Texas, I learned to organize from a young age. I organized to protect myself and my community from a Republican-led state that sought every opportunity to target, criminalize, and control our bodies and strip us of our fundamental human rights. From voter suppression bills to billions in funding to support statewide operations that target, arrest, and jail immigrants en masse, to now enacting the nation’s strictest anti-abortion ban. What is happening in Texas is a deliberate attack by far-right politicians who will do anything to quell Black, brown, immigrant, and LGBTQ communities both in Texas and other Republican controlled states across the country. By merely existing, Republicans see us as threats to their white supremacist agenda. Our rights to live with dignity and humanity should never be up for debate, and yet, our lives will remain on the line until Democrats match our demands to eliminate the filibuster and deliver bold, progressive, and permanent solutions to our communities.”
Norma Gonzalez, Texas Lead Organizer of United We Dream Texas, said:
“This most recent ban on abortions will undoubtedly put undocumented people at greater risk of deportation as they will be forced to cross Border Patrol checkpoints in order to seek care elsewhere. But immigrant youth leaders here in Texas have always taken action at every turn to fight back against Republicans’ cruel and baseless attacks and we will continue to do everything in our power to protect our communities. We have organized outside of elected officials’ offices, in front of courthouses, and in the streets to demand a world where everyone –regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, or immigration status– can live freely, safely, and without fear. This is
