Mr.Abbott,

The Heartbeat Bill, that you have signed into law, is not only a direct attack on the health and safety of women but also an attack on our children. As you already are aware, this law does not ban abortion. It only bans safe abortions. This law will lead to increased medical emergencies where women are hospitalized or killed for the attempt of illegitimate abortions. If it is the “ravages of abortion” you are afraid so of, then you should be trembling at the thought of a bloodied coat hanger.

For those pregnancies that do result in birth, there will be an increase in enrollment in the Texas Foster Care System. A system that is already overcrowded and underfunded, so much so that children have been illegally housed in unsafe and unlicensed facilities- a situation that your office was not only aware of but failed to report to the court. The Texas Foster Care System has already been placed under scrutiny in decade-long class-action lawsuits; how are you planning on supporting the infrastructure of an already failing system? How are you planning on protecting the lives of these children once they are born and inevitably placed into this very same system?

In this new law, you have not included any legitimate protections for women. Apart from the obvious health concerns- you have opened up the door for domestic violence, rape, and incest. You have not allowed women to receive abortions in the case of rape or incest- an already traumatic and degrading experience. An experience that you as a man are not faced with protecting yourself from every day in the same way as us women are forced to. Not only does this law force the woman to carry the pregnancy to term- it allows any suspecting person a time frame of 6 years to report the suspicion of abortion or “intentional miscarriage”, where if proven the claimant will be reimbursed for all legal fees and receive a compensation of $10,000. It is ironic that the state has such funds for claims against women, yet such limited funds for the programs aimed at protecting them.

Tell me, sir, how do you plan on protecting women from the theatrics of the Salem Witch Trials that these conditions will surely promote? There is a lot of false faith to be placed on a justice system where any person is allowed to accuse any woman of a crime with such ease and such promising compensation. Further- how insulting must it be to be a woman in this state where not long ago women only had a time frame of 5 years to report an incident of rape? A law that has since been increased to 10 years however still haunts women who are victims of sexual assault. It has become expected for women to report the assault immediately after it happened less be accused of lying out of malice for the man. As a woman in this state sir, we would like to see this same energy given to those who accuse us of abortions as is given to women who accuse men of rape. 

You have placed yourself in a position where you claim to be pro-life. However, I am confused as to what your understanding of that statement truly is as this law does not promote life- it promotes forced pregnancy and birth. If you sir are truly pro-life you would be advocating for the health of pregnant women, improvement of the foster care system, and increased efforts in protecting the safety of the mothers and daughters whom you represent. If it was really abortion that you wished to combat, then you would be implementing programs and policies that are aimed at combating abortion at the source- starting with an increase to affordable birth control, universal health care in low-income communities, and explicit instruction in sex-education in our schools.

As an elected official, it is your responsibility to represent the voices of your constituents. When we the people chose to seat you in office we did so under the pretense that you would be our advocate. However, in light of recent events, we are feeling more silenced and oppressed by your placement than we are voiced. This bill has proven the lack of value placed on women in Texas. So now we, the women, will fight. We will fight with bloodied coat hangers, raised fists, and numbers. We will speak even when our voices shake. I would urge you sir to remember that as an elected official, it is us whom you work for. It is us who have voted to have you placed on your throne and it is us who will vote to have you removed. 

In Dissent,

The Women of Texas