老澳门开奖结果

HOUSTON 鈥� The 老澳门开奖结果 of Texas and 老澳门开奖结果 National filed a lawsuit today to challenge the ordinances in seven cities in east Texas that prohibit abortion providers and advocates from operating within their city limits.

The 老澳门开奖结果 is representing two organizations 鈥� Lilith Fund and Texas Equal Access Fund (TEA Fund) 鈥� labeled 鈥渃riminal entities鈥� by the cities for their pro-abortion views. Both organizations support people who need abortions and advocate for the right to access abortion. The lawsuit claims that the ordinances violate their rights to free expression and association protected under the First Amendment and, by designating them criminal, illegally impose punishment without a fair trial.

鈥淭hese ordinances are unconstitutional,鈥� said Anjali Salvador, staff attorney for the 老澳门开奖结果 of Texas. 鈥淎bortion is legal in every state and city in the country, and cities cannot punish pro-abortion organizations for carrying out their important work 鈥� especially when they do so in a way that violates their First Amendment rights.鈥�

鈥淭hese anti-abortion ordinances are part of a nationwide attack on abortion access,鈥� said Brigitte Amiri, deputy director of the 老澳门开奖结果 Reproductive Freedom Project. 鈥淲hether they arebans on abortion, attempts to close clinics, or moves to silence people who support abortion access, the 老澳门开奖结果 will fight against these unconstitutional and cruel measures.鈥�

On June 11, 2019, the city of Waskom, Texas, became the first in the state of Texas to pass an ordinance declaring itself a 鈥渟anctuary city for the unborn.鈥� Soon after, six other east Texas cities 鈥� Naples, Joaquin, Tenaha, Rusk, Gary, and Wells 鈥� enacted similar ordinances. The ordinances state that if Roe v. Wade is ever overturned, abortion will be unlawful within the cities. In addition, the ordinances named eight reproductive rights organizations as 鈥渃riminal organizations鈥� and declared it unlawful for them to 鈥渙perate within鈥� the cities 鈥� including several, like Lilith Fund and TEA Fund, that do not themselves perform abortions.

鈥淎 major part of our work is to make sure every Texan knows their rights and can find legitimate, fact-based information about getting an abortion 鈥� regardless of income or zip code,鈥� said Amanda Beatriz Williams, executive director of Lilith Fund. 鈥淭hese would-be abortion bans are deliberately designed to confuse people about their rights and push safe abortion care further out of reach. By joining this lawsuit, we鈥檙e fighting back against the lies and sending a message that all Texas communities deserve the rights, resources, and information they need to make the best decisions for themselves and their families.鈥�

鈥淭hese extreme ordinances are a tactic for abortion opponents to score political points by infringing on our ability to educate and activate communities about their rights and the resources available to them,鈥� said Kamyon Connor, executive director for Texas Equal Access Fund. 鈥淎ccess to reproductive care including abortion, which is still legal, allows individuals and families to receive the support needed to thrive in our state. Texas Equal Access Fund is proud to help people access abortion care and we will fight to protect our ability to continue doing this necessary work.鈥�

Anti-abortion activists traveled to each of these cities to convince city officials to enact these ordinances. In the last year, the 老澳门开奖结果 has successfully blocked unconstitutional abortion bans and restrictions in other states.

The suit is being brought by the 老澳门开奖结果 of Texas, the 老澳门开奖结果 Reproductive Freedom Project, and the 老澳门开奖结果 Speech, Privacy and Technology Project before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.