A message from, Amy Hagstrom Miller, President & CEO of Whole Woman’s Health Alliance
On August, 31st, the waiting rooms in the four Whole Woman’s Health and Whole Woman’s Health Alliance clinics in Texas were filled with patients and their loved ones. Tuesday night, Whole Woman’s Health of Fort Worth finished its last abortion at 11:56pm CST. A physician was in tears as he tried to complete the abortions for all the people that were waiting. At 10:00pm CST, Marva Sadler, Director of Clinical Services, noted 27 patients still left in the waiting room. Both she and the physician were crying asking “what can we do? How can we be sure that we can see all these folks?”
To make matters worse, the anti-abortion protesters were outside from the moment the clinic opened at 8:00am until it closed at midnight. Once it got dark, they shined giant lights on the parking lot. We were under surveillance. This is not abstract. This was the reality for abortion clinic staff and patients.
Whole Woman’s Health Alliance and Whole Woman’s Health clinics are providing care in compliance with the Texas Senate Bill 8 and we are unwavering in the belief that Texans deserve abortion care in their own communities. Yesterday, the clinics were providing people with access to safe abortion. Today, Texans deserve that same access.
All of us know and love somebody who has had an abortion or might need an abortion at some point, I ask you this: is this the kind of experience we want somebody we love to go through in order to access safe abortion care? Whole Woman’s Health Alliance believes that abortion is a moral and social good. We know that access to abortion makes communities safer and healthier.
The fact is that a majority of Texans do not support SB 8. Texans believe in community, friendship, empathy, and above all freedom. This ban does not represent the values of Texans. This is an all-out abortion ban - plain and simple. It is cruel, it is extreme, and it’s happening on our watch.
SB 8 robs people of their ability to make decisions about their health and their future. We have been here before. In 2013, HB 2 closed clinics and in April 2020 Governor Abbott’s Executive Order closed clinics. Both times we fought, we won, we were able to reopen and serve the people of Texas.
Yesterday, we appealed to the Supreme Court for immediate relief alongside other Texas abortion providers, doctors, clergy, abortion funds, and practical support networks. Whole Woman’s Health is the lead plaintiff in this case.
Today I ask you to stand with me by making a donation to support our legal battle, our clinic staff and all Texans’ right to safe, compassionate abortion care. Texans deserve better than this.
