We've heard a lot about the hypothetical harm of Texas' incredibly restrictive abortion bill, SB8, and how it is a glimpse into a post-Roe future. But we wanted to talk to someone on the ground in Texas who is seeing firsthand the impact this bill is having on Texans seeking abortions.
We're joined on the podcast today by Zaena Zamora, Executive Director of the Frontera Fund. The Frontera Fund makes abortion accessible to people in the Rio Grande Valley (an area on the US-Mexico border in the southernmost part of Texas) by providing financial and practical support to people seeking abortion.
Zaena talks about the lengths that Texans now have to go to in order to seek abortion, and the skyrocketing cost of providing financial assistance in a time when most of the fund's callers need assistance traveling outside of the state for their abortions. Because Frontera Fund serves a large immigrant population, Zaena also speaks to the additional obstacles that undocumented folks, and especially those along the border, face when they are forced to travel in order to seek abortion.
The situation in Texas shows us the sobering reality of what life may be like for millions of people in the south and midwest when the Supreme Court rules on Dobbs v. Jackson in June 2022. It's not an optimistic picture - but you can help. Donate to abortion funds like the Frontera Fund, or your local fund (which you can find on abortionfunds.org). Push your local, state, and Congressional representatives to protect abortion rights. And keep saying the word abortion, as stigma thrives in silence.
Links:
- Frontera Fund donation site:
- Donation site for all Texas funds
- The National Network of Abortion Funds: find a fund to donate to, including your local funds
- TRANSCRIPT of episode! (Note that transcription software isn't flawless, but for the first and what will be the last time in my life I spent WAY too long trying to make the transcription of this episode better. They'll be much worse in the future because I'm not doing that again, so enjoy it while you can!)