In one week from today, I will be in Washington D.C. sharing Lilith Fund’s work and telling my personal abortion story to thousands of people in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
On that historic day, March 2, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for the Texas case Whole Woman’s v. Hellerstedt regarding House Bill 2, and people from all across the country will rally together in support of abortion rights. The decision will determine the future of abortion access in Texas and could set an extremely important precedent for the rest of the nation.
Since 2001, Lilith Fund has provided small grants to people who seek abortion care in Texas. We’ve seen attacks on our reproductive rights unfold over time, but none as severe as House Bill 2. This omnibus abortion bill threatens to close all but 10 clinics should the Supreme Court fail to permanently block the ambulatory surgical center (“mini-hospital”) and admitting privileges provisions of the law. This would result in only 10 abortion clinics left to serve 5.4 million women in the entire state.
We’ve done our best to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of abortion access in Texas. But as the obstacles to abortion care have grown over time, so have the costs associated with obtaining an abortion. Because our clients now have to pay more for these obstacles such as travel expenses, child care, and lodging over longer periods, they are in need of more funding in order to make their reproductive decisions a true reality.
Needless to say, this law was designed to make it hard for anyone to get a safe abortion in Texas — but it’s especially challenging for low-income people who are struggling to come up with the money to pay for it. At Lilith Fund, there’s no question of the undue burden caused by this law. We know it to be true because we hear about it firsthand from the 4,000 callers who reach our hotline every year. Our volunteers hear from callers who face systemic and direct racism, discrimination, and oppression in every way imaginable. For our callers, the undue burden doesn’t only make seeking care more difficult, it can make safe abortion impossible to obtain.
When I’m in D.C. next week, I’ll be sharing my own experience of how the pursuit of an abortion can be a fight for a chance at a life that we want and deserve to live. While our callers are disproportionately affected by House Bill 2, they’re still fighting to gain access, and they’re working to overcome disastrous barriers to get that very chance. They are resilient and they deserve justice from this decision. We can only hope that the Supreme Court understands the importance of our work and our clients’ experiences. Until then, we’ll continue to fight from Texas all the way to D.C.
Amanda Williams
Executive Director, Lilith Fund
One way to fight back against these harmful restrictions is to donate to Lilith Fund’s biggest fundraiser of the year, our bowl-a-thon. Please consider supporting a bowler, or donate on our website today at www.lilithfund.org.
