Women suing Texas over abortion bans give emotional testimony

Synopsis

ABC News documents the historic testimony of the (now) 20 women who sued Texas over the state’s abortion ban. The lawsuit, brought by the Center for Reproductive Rights, argues that the law forced doctors to deny these women lifesaving emergency care.

Amanda Zurawski, one plaintiff, nearly died from sepsis after being denied an abortion, which permanently shut down one of her fallopian tubes. Samantha Casiano threw up on the stand while she described watching her baby die in agony after she was forced to carry a nonviable fetus to term. Dr. Austin Dennard, the OB-GYN for one of the plaintiffs, had to travel out of state for her own abortion during a nonviable pregnancy that put her health in danger.

While the Texas Supreme Court ultimately ruled against these women, their stories shed new light on the experiences of seeking health care in America post-Roe. They are the first women to testify in court since 1973 on the consequences of denied abortions, inspiring dozens of others who were denied abortions to come forward with their own stories.