NARAL Pro-Choice America Responds to Emergency Appeal to Supreme Court After Texas Exploits Pandemic to Block Abortion Access - Reproductive Freedom for All

Formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America

Press Release

NARAL Pro-Choice America Responds to Emergency Appeal to Supreme Court After Texas Exploits Pandemic to Block Abortion Access

For Immediate Release: April 11, 2020

Contact: [email protected] 

Today, doctors in Texas who provide abortion care— represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights, the Lawyering Project, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America — filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the Court to take immediate action to restore access to medication abortion in the state as the case unfolds.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, along with anti-choice officials in 11 other states, recently seized upon the COVID-19 pandemic to try to ban abortion, falsely claiming abortion care is “elective” rather than time-sensitive and essential healthcare for women. In response, NARAL President Ilyse Hogue released the following statement:

“The fate of countless women and pregnant people in my home state of Texas now rests with the Supreme Court. Nine Justices face a choice between following an anti-choice GOP down a path to ignore science and prioritize ideology that undercuts fundamental freedoms and hurts women and families, or they can uphold the rule of law and scientific and medical advice. We’re here. We’re watching. And we’ll never stop fighting.”

Anti-choice politicians in Texas have consistently worked to ban abortion and roll back reproductive freedom, even going so far as to introduce a bill last legislative session which would have punished women seeking abortion care with the death penalty.

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NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates and chapters are dedicated to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom for all. For more than 50 years, NARAL has worked to guarantee that every woman has the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. Since 1969, NARAL has made history, grown to over 2.5 million members, and met the moments that have defined this fight with action, power and freedom. In recognition of its work defending our constitutional right to choose, Fortune Magazine described NARAL as “one of the top 10 advocacy groups in America.”