SCOTUS Upends Abortion in Texas for Black Womxn
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 2, 2021
Contact: cburrell@theafiyacenter.org
SCOTUS Upends Abortion in Texas for Black Womxn
Dallas, Texas The Supreme Court of the United States and the State of Texas are working in tandem to criminalize the Black body with the most recent restrictive abortion bill SB8. In a time of national unrest, SB8 has reared its ugly head and Black womxn and girls in Texas will have no support - as always. SB8 is designed to shame and stigmatize womxn’s healthcare decisions and make getting an abortion more difficult keeping Black womxn from reaching full bodily autonomy. SB8 puts strain on organizations like The Afiya Center by bringing criminalization that would further make them a target and tie them up in litigation to hinder the work.
The Afiya Center’s Executive Director, Marsha Jones, says,
“The hypocrisy of Texas’ SB8 passing is that it was passed on the premise of saving or valuing life by a majority white men-led legislative body that places no value on life. This is evident in the continued failure to provide the most vulnerable with healthcare, failing to be proactive in the face of natural disasters claiming the lives of many, and knowingly putting our children’s lives on the line by sending them unprotected into schools as we face this ever-changing pandemic. As with the many harmful restrictions that Texas politicians have placed on its constituency, it will be those who continue to carry the disproportionate burdens of reproductive oppression, Black womxn, who will most expeditiously experience the impact of this most heinous law. Reproductive oppression of Black womxn’s bodies is deeply rooted in this state and this law is a continuation of the history of the commodification (with the denial of bodily autonomy) of Black womxn bodies. The impact of this law is multilayered for Black womxn, and it heavily impedes on our ability to live and thrive. As stated by Audre Lorde, ‘Black women cannot fight single issued fights because Black women do not have the luxury of living single issued lives.’ ”
SB8 will create a wave of death by further perpetuating the rate of maternal mortality and morbidity; and people will feel forced to take alternative measures to abortions building concern around things like abuse, overdose, baby abandonment, and irresponsible use of herbs. It increases the victimization of womxn because anyone, including an abuser, could sue anyone that tries to help. This bill gives more rights to the oppressor and the victimizer than the person in need of care. Black womxn live in a state where there is already little to no support to provide care for any newly created family units. TANF and SNAP are already overburdened and not fully funded for 100% participation. The CPS system is overloaded. Communal support is overextended. And lawmakers have decided that the best course of action is to make the ultimate decision on whether or not to have children.
The Afiya Center’s Doula Services Coordinator, D’andra Willis, adds this,
“Black womxn have a right to access full spectrum healthcare. Laws like this one create reproductive oppression for Black Womxn who seek to take care of themselves and takes away their decisions in parenting. Most womxn don’t even know they’re pregnant before 6 weeks. This legislation doesn’t make sense and is obviously made by people who don’t experience the very things they’re deciding. A full term pregnancy is 39-40 weeks. But this bill expects us to know what we want to do, let alone be aware of what’s going on, in the first 6 weeks. Everyone’s bodies are different! Every pregnancy is different - you don’t always know. Positive pregnancy tests are not always read at 6 weeks, or even 8 weeks and OBGYN’s don’t see us until we’re 10 weeks. Healthy heartbeats don’t come until you’re 10 weeks. Black womxn should not have our most personal medical decisions controlled by politicians, neighbors, complete strangers, or anyone else. $10,000 feels like they’re encouraging people to make bands off our wombs. If we don’t speak up now, Black womxn will never have a say in our lives.”
This legislation will harm the most vulnerable people, not just Black womxn and girls.
It affects the youth, the poor, the disabled, Black and Brown folx, the undocumented, the elderly, the houseless, people with the threat of houselessness, those living paycheck to paycheck, those dependent on government assistance, people who don’t have access to generational wealth, people in domestic violence relationships, people working during a pandemic, people who rob Peter to pay Paul, people who could lose their jobs, people depending on dual income, people on a fixed income, single Black moms, people in prison, people returning from prison, and people who flat out just don’t want kids.
Mercedes Fulbright, TAC Board Advisory Member, had this to say:
“People across this country need to pay attention to what is happening in Texas. In the second largest state in America during a pandemic that has taken the lives of hundreds of thousands, there is a religious right movement rooted in white supremacist patriarchy for decades to control the bodies and agency of women, girls, and gender non conforming people. Instead of providing life saving procedures and access to medical care, lawmakers are choosing to deprive Texans of their constitutional right to individual choice. We are not new to these attacks and we are committed to protecting the life and dignity of Black women, girls, femmes, and gender non conforming folks who are seeking abortion care on this sacred land. The Afiya Center is unwavering in our belief that Texans deserve abortion care in their own communities without barriers or scare tactics from lawmakers. We will not back down and we’ll continue to fight for Black, low-income, queer, and young folks in Texas.”
SB 8 is taxing on the Black womxn and girls we serve who already don’t have resources. Black girls still lack access to comprehensive sex education and high quality contraceptives. Black womxn still live with a higher rate of child-related or pregnancy related deaths. Black womxn still have disproportionate unintended pregnancy and abortion rates. Black womxn still live in a state with the highest rates of uninsured individuals. Black womxn still lack support in our parenting, child support, household support, quality education, and financial support. Black womxn are still notoriously the heads of our households and any unplanned pregnancy causes us to push things back like furthering our education or careers and limits our path to entrepreneurship. Black womxn are still experiencing generational poverty due to racist systems. And Black girls still need, but lack the access to abortions.
The Afiya Center holds space for these Black womxn and is committed to remaining a trusted community resource. Black womxn cannot afford to be silent - especially now. Abortion is still legal and TAC is remaining focused on offering the community real, genuine support!
The Afiya Center’s SYS Fund is still working to ensure that Black womxn who need abortions can get them. They need support now more than ever to make sure that Black womxn seeking abortions and practical support can receive help with full spectrum doula services, hotels, childcare, and transportation without shame, unnecessary restrictions, or outside interference. TAC needs donations to sustain their work, they need help building out our birthing/healing space, they need volunteers to help do the work, and they need everyone to educate their family members on what’s truly at stake.
A press call was held on 9/1/21 with lawyers who are challenging and those affected by Texas’ S.B. 8 to discuss its immediate impact on the ground upon taking effect. You can listen to the full call here.
Click here for The Lawyering Project Press Release: Abortion Stops in Texas After Supreme Court Inaction
###