WASHINGTON, D.C. — Now that a federal judge in Texas has issued an order blocking enforcement of S.B. 8, the vigilante anti-abortion law, clinic doors across the state are opening again. Today, NOW is grateful that women in Texas can still exercise their Constitutional rights to abortion care. But Roe v. Wade is still hanging by a thread, with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit—considered one of the most conservative courts in the country— indicating they will appeal the ruling, paving the way for a final Supreme Court showdown.
Threats to our bodily autonomy and reproductive healthcare are still rampant, and politicians are still using the courts to impose an ultra-conservative and misogynist agenda to dominate and control women’s lives. This court ruling is a much-needed first step, but it’s far from the end of the road. NOW will redouble our efforts to ensure S.B. 8 is permanently taken off the books, and no other state succeeds in enacting a similar law.
Last weekend NOW’s grassroots mobilized all across the country to rally for abortion justice. While we know we made our voices heard, our work is far from done. We’ll continue keeping our efforts strong until the Senate passes the Women’s Health Protection Act to protect the legal right to abortion care in all 50 states.
NOW believes abortion care is health care, and that access to these services is our universal right. We will not stop until we strike down these dangerous and unconstitutional attacks for good.