Statement from Lupe M. Rodríguez on Supreme Court ruling on emergency abortion care in Texas

“We are dismayed by the Supreme Court’s decision to allow Texas to ban access to emergency abortion care. This ruling denies pregnant Texans access to the care they need, even as we see an increase in maternal mortality because of the state’s abortion bans.

“We know exactly what happens when pregnant people are denied emergency care. It means that they could die, suffer significant pain and trauma, or lose the ability to have children in the future.This is especially heartbreaking as we mourn the deaths of people who were denied abortion care, from Amber Thurman and Candi Miller in Georgia to Rosie Jiménez in Texas. Im/migrants, Latinas/xs, and other communities of color visit emergency rooms at higher rates because of systemic barriers to health care, and will be most affected by this ruling.

“When the Supreme Court fell short of protecting the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) in June, we were dismayed. The Supreme Court should have made clear that this 40-year-old law includes emergency abortion care for everyone, no matter where they live. We expect that attacks on our freedom will continue as part of anti-abortion extremists’ ultimate goal to ban abortion nationwide.

“No one should be denied care in a medical emergency, no matter who they are or where they live. The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice will continue to organize and build power in Latino/x communities across the country to ensure that everyone has access to the healthcare they need, including abortion care. We will not stop until we create a country with true reproductive justice for all.”