John, if I have any regret from my time leading Planned Parenthood, it’s this:
We underestimated extremists like Greg Abbott who are willing to sacrifice women’s rights — and even threaten their lives — in exchange for their radical anti-choice agendas.
But it isn’t too late to fight back, John, and nowhere is this fight more urgent than in Texas. So before I go on, I must urge you to donate anything you can to help get out the vote for Beto across Texas before polls close in just three days. We must defeat Governor Abbott’s extremism at the ballot box, and elect a leader who trusts women to make decisions about their own bodies, health care, and futures.
I’ll admit it. Looking back on the last 20 years, I see that we didn’t fully comprehend the lengths that extremists like Greg Abbott would go to control women and our decisions.
Now, the most extreme abortion ban in America is in effect today across Texas.
Greg Abbott’s dangerous law bans abortion beginning at conception. It has no exception for rape and no exception for incest. Abbott even signed this ban into law despite the fact that a full 82% of Texans oppose this radical attack on reproductive freedom.
Please take a moment to read the stories of just a few of the Texas women who have already suffered under Greg Abbott’s extremism. But if you don’t have time to read on, please chip in now. We are running out of hours to ensure Beto defeats Greg Abbott so we can restore reproductive freedom to Texas women.
Outside of Houston, Ashley Brandt and her husband were thrilled to become pregnant with twins, then tragically learned that one had a fatal birth defect.
But under Abbott’s law, Brandt could not receive in-state abortion care to protect the other twin, putting the delivery of a healthy baby — and the mother’s life — at direct risk.
In Austin, Amanda Zuraksi was losing her baby.
But under Abbott’s law, she could not receive abortion care — meaning she had to wait until her body went into sepsis, resulting in a three-day battle for her life in the Intensive Care Unit. The lasting effects of the delayed care means she might not be able to have children in the future.
In Corpus Christi, teenager Brooke Alexander found out she was pregnant 48 hours before Abbott’s first extreme abortion ban went into effect. She raced to get an abortion.
But under Abbott’s law, she couldn’t. Her decision to control her own body and future was taken from her by this governor.
These are just a few of too many stories. Under Governor Abbott, Texas women no longer control their own futures, bodies, or families.
Politicians like Abbott are forcing doctors to literally play chicken with the lives of women like Amanda Zuraski. And Greg Abbott did all of this — caused all of this suffering, fear, and harm — just to boost his own political power.
That’s why I’m taking this moment to personally write you, John.
Three days from now, we have the opportunity to defeat Greg Abbott. To show him that we are more powerful than him. And to elect a Governor who is right alongside us in the fight to restore women's reproductive freedom.
Right now is our last chance to funnel grassroots resources into critical Get Out The Vote efforts across all 254 counties of Texas so we can elect Beto O’Rourke as a pro-choice Governor.
Are you with me?
It will take a victory in Texas to restore what is rightfully ours: the ability to make our own decisions about our bodies. I believe we can win this. We must.
In solidarity,
Cecile
Cecile Richards
National Finance Chair, Beto for Texas
Former President of Planned Parenthood
