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Reproductive Rights Are a Five-Alarm Fire. State Legislators Must Act.

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Reproductive Rights Are a Five-Alarm Fire. State Legislators Must Act.

By Debbie Cox Bultan and Rafael Anchia | The Barbed Wire

The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to uphold Texas’s draconian emergency abortion ban isn’t just a setback for reproductive freedoms in America — it’s a five-alarm fire. This November, voters across the country have the chance to fight back.

Reproductive freedoms will be a make-or-break issue for many voters at the ballot box. A 2024 Pew Research study found that 64% of women and 61% of men express support for legal abortion care. Another recent poll found that abortion is the most critical issue in the election among women under 30. Americans broadly support the freedom of women to make healthcare decisions — including abortion care — without government interference.

Despite public support, we’re witnessing a relentless attack on these hard-won freedoms.

The Texas ban is among the strictest in the nation, with doctors facing up to life in prison and $100,000 fines for performing abortions. As a result, women seeking pregnancy care have been turned away from emergency rooms across the state, even when facing life-threatening health complications.

Consider the story of Yeniifer Alvarez-Estrada Glick from Luling, Texas. Despite experiencing life-threatening complications from her pregnancy including pulmonary edema and hypertension, doctors refused to explore all treatment options out of fear of facing strict legal consequences imposed by the state. Tragically, Yeniifer passed away as a result of these complications and her experience is a stark reminder of how these restrictive laws not only rob them of their dignity and bodily autonomy but endanger women’s lives.

Last week, a new ProPublica investigation found that Josseli Barnica, a 28-year-old mother in Houston, died in 2021 after suffering a miscarriage at 17 weeks pregnant. Doctors reportedly told Josseli “they had to wait until there was no heartbeat” and that “it would be a crime to give her an abortion” — even though her baby was not going to survive. Nevaeh Crain, ProPublica found, also died after being turned away from two hospitals, and made to wait at a third. She’d developed sepsis while six months pregnant. Nevaeh was 18 years old.

Analysis from the Centers for Disease Control’s Gender Equity Policy Institute found that, from 2021-2022, pregnancy-related deaths increased by 56% in Texas. The John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that the state’s infant mortality rate spiked too during this period. In 2021, Texas enacted some of the most severely restrictive abortion policies in the country. When Roe was overturned in 2022, they became even more draconian. This data demonstrates that stories like Yeniifer, Jossell, and Nevaeh’s are tragically not unique. Instead, they represent a deeply troubling trend where laws prioritize extreme ideology over compassionate, informed medical care, and choice.

Elected officials and community leaders haven’t simply sat on the sideline and watched. While extremists have worked to chip away at these fundamental freedoms, courageous state and local legislators are taking bold action to protect abortion access for millions of women.

In Texas, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg led efforts to pass a city resolution preventing the city from using any funds or data to jeopardize women seeking safe abortions.

Colorado lawmakers have placed a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would enshrine abortion rights and prohibit government interference in reproductive healthcare decisions.

In Michigan, State Senator Mallory McMorrow championed a nine-bill package (the Reproductive Health Act) to remove remaining state barriers to abortion access.

Maryland legislators have put forward a constitutional amendment to guarantee the right to make pregnancy-related decisions, aiming to solidify existing protections in state law.

St. Louis Mayor Tishuara Jones signed legislation directing $1 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to help people cover the logistical cost of accessing abortion.

The Oregon legislature approved $15 million to expand abortion care access and support non-profit networks like the Northwest Abortion Access Fund.

Gov. Josh Shapiro launched a Freedom to Choose website for Pennsylvanians seeking safe abortion care access with critical healthcare and legal resources.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation to protect out-of-state abortion seekers and providers from legal action in their home state.

These efforts are a small snapshot of how state-level action has become crucial in preserving reproductive freedoms. For many women, the ability to seek safe healthcare access is a matter of life and death. No woman should have to drive thousands of miles to receive reproductive healthcare treatment or be forced to carry a pregnancy to term against her will. As federal protections erode, local leaders are working to ensure their constituents retain control over deeply personal healthcare choices.

The stakes could not be higher. In addition to the ballot measures that would restore access to health care in multiple states, many Americans will have the opportunity to elect representatives who will defend reproductive rights and pass laws protecting bodily autonomy.

Federal elections are crucial as well, though as we’ve seen from the many attempts to pass extreme abortion laws over the past two years, who holds office at the state level is critical and will have an immediate impact on the safety of the women they govern.

In Texas, gains among pro-choice legislators are needed to send a message that the current law cannot stand and that it is only a matter of time before it is overturned.

The future of reproductive freedom is in our hands. The battle isn’t over, and with every vote cast, we can make sure it’s a battle that we win.

(Editor’s note: The views and opinions presented by guest contributors to The Barbed Wire do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the company, the newsroom, its staff, advisers, or advertisers.)