The former President of Planned Parenthood of America said she’s concerned about what Texas’s new legislation could mean for the country. The new law stops doctors from performing abortions once fetal cardiac activity can be detected, which is around six weeks and often before people know they're pregnant.
“All of us who have worked in this area for a long, long time, have hoped that this day would never come, but here it is,” Richards said. “This is a cruel and unconstitutional law.”
The law was passed on what would've been her mom's birthday, former Texas Gov. Ann Richards.
“I just thought how upsetting it was, to think that all the things that we’ve fought for in Texas," she said. " Building our democracy, better access to opportunities for everyone, that really in one day it just crushed decades and decades of progress in the state.”
Richards is in Dallas to speak at Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas’ annual Dallas Awards on Thursday. The event raises funds for the organization’s health and education services.
She has a message for people: You’re not alone.
“The worst thing could happen is that people's rights are taken away, and it's silent,” Richards said. “I know people are afraid. And so it’s even more important to speak up and speak out, because you can't ever know how much that helps people who are really struggling right now.”
She’s anticipating more lawsuits like those against the doctor in San Antonio who provided an abortion outside the six-week timeframe outlined by the new law.
She's also watching the Supreme Court case coming up in December. The court is set to hear arguments about Mississippi’s abortion laws, which could challenge Roe v. Wade.
But Richards said it goes beyond litigation.
“What’s on my mind is that every day in Texas now, millions of people wake up who have lost this right to make their own decision about pregnancy,” Richards said. “And that is unconscionable.”
Got a tip? Email Elena Rivera at erivera@kera.org. You can follow Elena on Twitter @elenaiswriting.
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