Statement from Lucy Ceballos Felix, Associate Director of Texas, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, on the death of Josseli Barnica under Texas’ abortion ban

We are outraged by the death of Josseli Barnica because of Texas’ medically unnecessary abortion ban. Josseli was denied miscarriage care for 40 hours because of the confusion surrounding Texas’ ban, SB 8, which went into effect just 7 days before her death. As we mourn Josseli’s death, we acknowledge there are likely many more pregnant people who died at the hands of Texas’ ban, whose names we do not know.

Texas’ SB 8 was the blueprint for the Dobbs decision, and the abortion bans since enacted have done horrific damage to our communities. Abortion bans disproportionately impact Latinas/xs and im/migrants like Josseli, an immigrant from Honduras. Latinas/xs are the most likely to live in the 26 states that have banned or restricted abortion access. Time and again, we bear the brunt of extreme policies that rob us of the tools we need to stay healthy, make decisions about when or whether to become parents, and raise our families with dignity and safety.

Stories like Josseli’s are becoming all too common. We cannot accept this as our reality. No one should be denied care in a medical emergency, no matter who they are or where they live. The Latina Institute will keep fighting for reproductive justice and building power in Latino/x communities in Texas and across the country. We won’t stand by while extremists take away our freedoms. We’ll keep fighting for a world where everyone can get the reproductive health care they need to stay healthy and thrive.