FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 27, 2016
For media interviews, contact:
Tina Hester, Executive Director, (512) 450-4899
Susan Hays, Legal Counsel, (214) 557-4819
Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt SCOTUS Decision:
Protecting the Dignity of all Texans Accessing Abortion Care
“Today the nation’s highest court heard the laments of the most vulnerable women in Texas — the young, the poor and those living in the vast stretches of rural Texas where access to reproductive health care and abortion has vanished,” said Tina Hester, executive director of Jane’s Due Process, an organization dedicated to assisting pregnant minors.
Hester added, “We applaud the justices for considering how these unnecessary regulations affect individual young women and their futures.” While it is difficult for adult women in Texas to access abortion services, minors face additional barriers in locating safe transportation and funding, missing school and work, and navigating strange cities by themselves.
“The state of Texas consistently demonstrates extreme animus towards abortion care. The cumulative effect of all of the past laws — sonogram with a 24-hour wait before obtaining an abortion, ASC requirements, admitting privileges, increasing legal hurdles to bypass parental consent — have forced many young Texans to carry unwanted pregnancies to term,” said Susan Hays, Jane’s Due Process legal counsel. “Today, the Court stood firm in protecting the autonomy and dignity of all when it comes to the fundamental right to decide when and whether to become a parent.”
Jane’s Due Process was one of 45 organizations which filed an amicus brief in the Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt lawsuit.
Jane’s Due Process is a non-profit legal referral organization that assists pregnant minors in Texas regardless of what choice they make about their unintended pregnancies. The majority of calls to its 24/7 legal hotline are for assistance with the judicial bypass, a court order which allows a minor to consent to her own health care rather than obtain parental consent for an abortion. To learn more about who we help, read our Stories from Jane.
