Amanda Zurawski developed sepsis and nearly died after being refused an abortion, and will suffer permanent reproductive damage as a result. Ashley Brandt, when pregnant with twins, discovered one of her twins had a fatal condition, and was forced to leave the state for care after providers refused to provide a selective fetal reduction. Samantha Casiano said she felt “abandoned” after being forced to carry a nonviable pregnancy to term; her daughter died four hours after birth.
This week, Texas women denied abortions despite serious pregnancy complications shared their stories in a packed Austin courtroom, the first day of testimony in Zurawski v. State of Texas—a lawsuit filed against the state of Texas by the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), and the first brought on behalf of women denied abortions since the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion.