Good afternoon,

Five of the plaintiffs in the Center for Reproductive Rights' groundbreaking case against the U.S. state of Texas have shared their stories of elation at learning they were pregnant... and incomparable pain when learning that their babies would not survive. Texas' extreme abortion ban has added a layer of trauma to these women's already harrowing experiences that simply should not exist.

We've filed our case, Zurawski v. State of Texas, to ensure no other pregnant people are denied life-saving medical care in Texas. Anna and Ashley, two of the women who have bravely joined our lawsuit, can't undo the trauma they underwent, but are sharing their stories to fight for other Texans.

Anna Zargarian was 19 weeks pregnant when her water broke and she began cramping. In the emergency room, doctors told Anna there was no chance that her baby would survive and that based on her condition, she was at risk of infection, hemorrhage, and sepsis. Anna needed an abortion but could not get one in Texas.

Where else in medicine do we do nothing and just wait and see how sick a patient becomes before acting? That's what Anna asked after having to travel to Colorado while at serious risk of infection and early labor to get an abortion that was advised by her doctors.

Ashley Brandt was told something similar by her doctors. She was 12 weeks pregnant with twins when she learned one of the twins had acrania and the longer she stayed pregnant with both twins, the less likely it was that both would survive the pregnancy. Ashley's doctors told her that because of Texas' extreme abortion ban, she would need to go out of state to obtain a fetal reduction abortion procedure. She also flew to Colorado despite the fear of early labor.

When Ashley returned to Texas after receiving a medically necessary abortion in Colorado, she felt that doctors were reluctant to even acknowledge she'd had an abortion. For the remainder of her pregnancy, until she gave birth to a full term, healthy baby, Ashley remained terrified for her life and that of her baby.

The five women who shared their harrowing stories as part of our lawsuit lived through incredible trauma due to the loss of their babies, only to have Texas’ extreme abortion ban add another layer of unnecessary suffering.

Women in Texas are afraid to be pregnant, but with your help, we’re fighting back!

Thank you for reading and sharing these important stories,

Molly Duane
Senior Staff Attorney