opinion

Texas aborts vital chance to clarify law and save lives

Texas' Supreme Court fails again—this time, by refusing to clarify the state's deadly abortion law.

Published June 10, 2024 at 6:02am by

It could have been their daughters. But Texas Supreme Court Justices don't care.

Zurawski v. Texas demanded clarity on the state’s abortion ban, but the court rejected this demand, upholding a vague and dangerous law. The law, which prohibits almost all abortions, has already caused immense harm to Texas women, like plaintiff Amanda Zurawski, who faced "emotional torture" due to the ambiguity of the law.

It was emotional torture.

Amanda Zurawski

The court's decision maintains a harmful status quo, exposing women with complex pregnancies to physical danger. The lawmakers and judges responsible for this decision have blood on their hands. They pretend that the law is clear, but they know it is not. Families, physicians, hospitals, and attorneys all fear that even medically necessary abortions could result in prosecution.

The court granted Dr. Damla Karsan standing to sue the state, but don't be fooled—they also upheld a narrow reading of the ban, stating that a pregnant patient's condition must be "life-threatening" to qualify for an abortion. This ignores the many nuances and shades of grey that exist in pregnancy complications.

Twenty women shared their heartbreaking and traumatic stories of how this law has affected them. These women are not outliers—they represent the natural continuum of human reproduction. Their stories demonstrate the disastrous consequences of a blanket abortion ban.

The legislators who crafted this law live in a fantasy world where pregnancies are either healthy or deadly. They ignore the complex reality of human reproduction, which involves numerous nuanced and personal turning points. The right to make decisions about one's body and reproduction is a fundamental human right, but these hypocrites would rather see women suffer and die than admit their ideological agenda harms real people.

These 20 women and their families have been failed by the Texas Supreme Court. Make no mistake, this decision will cause more harm and more suffering. The court has chosen to uphold an extreme and cruel law, and they will have to live with the consequences of their actions.

Sources/URLs: