SB 33, Texas’s ban on municipal funding for abortion support, became effective today, denying millions of Texans the opportunity to have the cities and counties and public hospital districts where they live, work, and raise families support members of their communities getting safe legal abortion care outside the state of Texas.
Texas’s abortion ban has already had devastating consequences—maternal deaths are rising, cases of sepsis are increasing, infant deaths have surged, and Texans have lost basic autonomy. Because Texans are forced to travel out of state for care, the cost of accessing abortion has more than doubled since Roe was overturned. Practical support funds help close that gap, ensuring that the people most impacted by these bans can still get the care they need despite mounting barriers. Austin and San Antonio acted to protect their communities by budgeting for this support in the face of state violence, but SB 33 cut that support short, ending the possibility of these cities funding vital care. SB 33 is a direct attack on community care. It is blatant government overreach, stripping cities of their right to self-govern and silencing the will of local voters in order to consolidate power at the state level.
“This is another attack on democracy in an anti-abortion disguise,” said Lucie Arvallo, Jane’s Due Process Executive Director. Voters in Austin and San Antonio overwhelmingly elected city councils that recognized that access to safe legal abortion is a public good that helps families thrive. Jane’s Due Process and our partners at the other Texas Abortion funds will continue to help Texans get the abortion care they need even while anti-abortoin movement and their allies destroy democracy to achieve their goals.”
