Black women praise Department of Justice lawsuit against Texas abortion law, call for more action

Statement from In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda

WASHINGTON — Today, September 9, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit to block the extreme Texas abortion ban. Marcela Howell, president and CEO of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, issued the following statement:

“We applaud President Biden and the Department of Justice for taking swift action against Texas’ blatantly unconstitutional abortion ban. We asked the president to act and he has. While we welcome this step in the right direction, we need more action. This lawsuit must be the first step of an all-out federal response to fight back against this assault on all women and pregnant people — especially Black women.

“We encourage the administration to use its influence to ensure that pregnant people in Texas are able to access the full range of reproductive health services, including abortion care. We thank President Biden for taking this action and urge him to keep going.

“But we also call on Congress to act by passing the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) and send it to President Biden for his signature. We need bold actions and creative problem-solving to protect the rights of all women. This isn’t politics as usual; the lives of Texas women and pregnant people are in jeopardy.”

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In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda is a national reproductive justice organization focused on lifting the voices of Black women at the national and regional levels in our ongoing policy fight to secure reproductive justice for all women and girls. Our eight strategic partners include Black Women for Wellness, Black Women’s Health Imperative, New Voices for Reproductive Justice, SisterLove, Inc. SisterReach, SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW, The Afiya Center and Women With A Vision.