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Theyre used to fielding between 30 to 50 calls in a mere three hours.
Guido Mieth/Getty Images
Just 10 calls came into the Lilith Funds hotline that morning, communications director Cristina Parker tells SELF.
Without the ability to [make] an appointment in Texas, we’re hearing from fewer people.
That’s really scary and sad for us, she says.
Advocates tell SELF that S.B.
8 represents an immediate crisis for Texansand one in the making for the rest of the country.
Lower federal courts could still strike down S.B.
8 or portions of it, and theDepartment of Justicejust filed a lawsuit against Texas over the new law.
But the fact that S.B.
Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis, whopropped up racist abortion mythsin Congress,expressed admiration for the Texas law.
By their own admission, Republican lawmakers inArkansasandIndianaare preparing to copy it.
Ultimately, the result of S.B.
Abortion access in Texas was already in an extremely vulnerable position before S.B.
The landscape of reproductive rights and access in Texas never fully recovered from H.B.
By the time theSupreme Court overturned H.B.
2in 2016sWhole Womans Health v. Hellerstedt, the damage had been done.
More than half of the states 40-plus abortion clinicsnever reopened.
The new law reinforces the haves and have-nots in U.S. health carenot limited to abortion.
Many transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse patientscount on reproductive health clinicsfor gender-affirming and otherwise culturally competent care.
Dr. Torres characterizes the new law as more than a ban or removal of rights.
Thematernal mortality crisisposes an even greater risk to Black lives.
Thedisproportionality applies regardless of income and education levels.
Dr. Torres fears Texas-style laws will cause more preventable deaths like that of Savita Halappanavar.
Halappanavars name became a rallying cry for thesuccessful repeal of Irelands near-total abortion banin 2018.
And it’s not going to stop with Texas.
8 encourages private citizens to act as bounty hunters by suing anyone involved in abortions.
And even though S.B.
If you want to help in the wake of S.B.
8, think locally.
WhileRoeaffirmed the right to abortion, it never guaranteed that people could exercise their right.
The best way to help is to look to local organizations in Texas and around you.
What I always say is when they go low, you go local, Perez says.
They recommenddonating to Texas-based abortion fundsand continuing to talk about abortion in a way that is unashamed to empowering.
The websiteneedabortion.orgprovides resources for Texans, by Texans.
Dr. Torres adds another suggestion: Don’t tell people to move out of Texas.
People deserve to live wherever they want to live.
We need fascist legislators out of office.
Listen to what people on the ground say they need to ensure abortion access.
In the wake of S.B.
Andresearch suggeststhat self-managedmedication abortionscan be safe and effective.
More than a week after S.B.
Theres a new dawn in Texas, but people still need health care.
