URGE RESPONDS TO 5TH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS’ DECISION TO KEEP S.B. 8 IN EFFECT UNTIL ITS CONSTITUTIONALITY IS DETERMINED
October 15, 2021
Kwentoria Williams
kwwilliams@urge.org
202-365-1964
“A week ago, we cautiously celebrated a preliminary injunction issued by the District Court to temporarily block the harmful Texas anti-abortion legislation, S.B. 8. We held our breaths for follow-up action as we knew the ruling only provided temporary relief. Last night, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided to keep in effect this oppressive, fear-mongering statute, as its overall constitutionality is yet to be determined,” stated URGE Executive Director Kimberly Inez McGuire (she/her/ella). “This move continues the war on Texans’ bodily autonomy and serves to drastically limit abortion access for people who currently are pregnant or who may become pregnant in the state.”
“Simply put, abortion is under attack in Texas and many other states as the whims of power-hungry white male legislators become the laws that restrict our basic freedoms. Laws like S.B. 8 are especially harmful for Black and brown women, immigrants, and trans and non-binary young people of color, the very communities already suffering under the negligence and misconduct of the Texas government. As long as S.B. 8 remains in effect and its looming legion of copycat bills surface in other states, abortion is under attack, leaving anyone who can get pregnant to live with uncertainty, indignity, and fear.
“URGE demands a swift ruling from the Supreme Court that confirms what we already know: S.B. 8 is unconstitutional. We also demand free access to abortion pills and an end to all restrictions on abortion care and coverage. Decisions about pregnancy and parenting belong to the people, whatever the courts and politicians say. We won’t stop until we have abortion justice for all.”
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About URGE:
URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity envisions a liberated world where we can live with justice, love freely, express our gender and sexuality, and define and create families of our choosing. To achieve our vision of liberation, URGE builds power and sustains a young people’s movement for reproductive justice by centering the leadership of young people of color who are women, queer, trans, nonbinary, and people of low income. As a state-driven national organization, URGE organizes our communities, provides a political home for young people, advocates for meaningful policy change, and shifts culture, working in states where the challenges and opportunities are greatest.
