In Samantha Casiano’s house, Sundays are for family. And for the last two years, that’s included a trip to the cemetery. Every week, they visit her daughter Halo’s gravesite. It sits in the middle of their small East Texas hometown. A gray placard lies on the ground with Halo Hope Villasana written in pink script, […]
Tag: reproductive rights
Posted inOpinion
I Almost Died After Giving Birth. Texas Just Made That More Likely for Everyone.
I remember the moment my world went sideways: My daughter had just been born, warm against my chest, when the room shifted from joy to panic. I was hemorrhaging. My placenta was not delivering as it should. I kept asking, “Are we going to the OR?” Minutes stretched into an hour. Cabinets slammed. People rushed. […]
Posted inHealth
Texas Is Already Dangerous for Pregnancies. This New ‘Bounty Hunter’ Law Will Make It Even Worse.
UPDATE: On Tuesday, the Texas Senate approved House Bill 7, which will incentivize people to bring $100,000 lawsuits against anyone who makes, sends, or transports abortion medication in Texas, regardless of where they’re located. The bill is headed to the governor to be signed into law. This story has been updated to reflect the development. […]
Posted inHealth
‘Clarity’ on Texas’ Abortion Ban is Coming… Whatever That Means
UPDATE: May 21, 2025 The so-called “life of the mother” act to “clarify” medical emergencies that constitute exemptions under the laws, SB 31, easily passed the Texas House and will soon be on it’s way to the Governor’s desk. Once the Governor has signed the law, it will take effect September 1, 2025. PREVIOUS STORY: […]
Posted inHealth
So You Want To Get Pregnant in Texas? How To Navigate Abortion Bans and Rising Maternal Mortality Rates
“I’m terrified. Trying to start a family with my hubby and our first pregnancy was ectopic,” one user on threads wrote. “I’m a Black woman in TX where it’s being shown that these health professionals don’t & won’t give af about me if I’m in pain & very well may provide substandard treatment for asinine […]
Posted inNews
Texas Is a Testing Ground for Federal Anti-Abortion Policies
Abortion medication classified as controlled substances. Internet providers prosecuted for hosting abortion information. Abortion advocates charged with racketeering. The death penalty for abortion patients. That’s a glimpse of abortion-related bills filed in the 89th Texas Legislature as the session nears its half-way point. It’s also a glimpse at the future of reproductive healthcare in Texas […]
Posted inNews
Houston-Area Midwife Arrested After Allegedly Providing Illegal Abortions
UPDATE, March 18, 2025: A Houston-area medical assistant and nurse practitioner were also arrested in connection to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s arrests targeting abortion providers. Jose Manuel Cendan Ley, a 29-year-old medical assistant, was arrested for allegedly helping Maria Margarita Rojas perform what Paxton called illegal abortions. Rubildo Labanino Matos, a 54-year-old nurse practitioner, […]
Posted inHealth
Post-Roe Stats Keep Getting Worse: 6 Texas Children Under 12 Got Abortions Out of State in 2023
Last week would have marked the 52nd anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which guaranteed the federal constitutional right to abortion — until it was overturned in 2022. As data rolls in showing the detrimental effects of abortion bans like the one in Texas, the numbers only get more grim. One […]
Posted inNews
Cecile Richards, Former Planned Parenthood President, Dead at 67
Cecile Richards, the eldest daughter of Texas Gov. Ann Richards, died on Monday at the age of 67, according to a statement from her family. Richards, a lifelong feminist activist and advocate for reproductive rights, had an aggressive form of brain cancer. She remained active in Democratic politics throughout her diagnosis. “This morning our beloved […]