How Are Texas Officials Responding to the End of ‘Roe’? By Michelle Pitcher Texas Observer “This article was originally published by the Texas Observer, a nonprofit investigative news outlet. Sign up for their weekly newsletter, or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.”
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fter the United States Supreme Court gutted protections for abortion access by reversing Roe v. Wade, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton made the state’s position clear: Residents must quash any hope of legal abortion in the state. “I look forward to defending the prolife laws of Texas and the lives of all unborn children moving forward,” Paxton said in a statement. In celebration of the court decision, Paxton gave all employees in the Office of the Attorney General a
half-day off of work, according to an internal email. “Attorney General Paxton and the entire Executive Leadership Team wish you and your families a safe and enjoyable ‘Sanctity of Life’ holiday,” reads the email, signed by First Assistant Attorney General of Texas Brent Webster. But in the state’s capital, city leaders are already working to decriminalize abortion locally. Immediately after the decision, two Austin City Council members—Jose “Chito” Vela and Vanessa Fuentes—called for a special meeting to push forward a resolution that would recommend city funds not be used to “surveil, catalog, report, or investigate abortion” and would direct the police to make abortion investigations “their lowest
priority.” The resolution, known as the Guarding the Right to Abortion Care for Everyone (GRACE) Act, was authored by Council member Chito Vela. “We want to do everything we can to protect abortion rights,” Vela told the Observer. “I think that the GRACE package is designed to use our discretion in a way that hopefully will not come into direct conflict with the state. We’re just doing the best we can given the difficult circumstances.” The measure has been in the works since the draft opinion of the court’s decision was leaked in May, Vela said. The date of the special meeting has not yet been set, but Vela said city leaders hope to have it within the next 30 days, before the trigger laws take effect. Vela said Aus-
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