ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Attorney General Raúl Torrez has joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in an amicus brief supporting access to emergency abortion for Texas patients. The multistate coalition has filed the amicus brief in the Texas Supreme Court in support of the plaintiffs in Zurawski v. Texas, marking the first legal challenge brought on behalf of women denied abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court's June 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
'Emergency healthcare should never be politicized or compromised,' said Attorney General Torrez. 'Texas has created an unsafe space for pregnant women who need care in some of the most vital times in their lives. I gladly joined this effort as we must support women throughout the country who continue to struggle accessing essential healthcare due to radical bans.'
The lawsuit, originally filed in Texas state court on March 6, seeks to clarify the scope of Texas's medical emergency exception under its state abortion laws. On August 4, the court issued an order temporarily blocking the application of Texas's abortion ban in cases of an 'emergent medical condition.' Now, Texas is appealing the court's decision in the Texas Supreme Court. The amicus brief filed this week by the multistate coalition backs the plaintiffs' case, arguing that: Preventing medical providers from performing abortions needed to treat emergency medical conditions threatens the health and lives of pregnant women. Many pregnancy and miscarriage complications are emergency medical conditions requiring time-sensitive stabilizing treatment that can include abortion. Any failure to provide, or delays in providing, necessary abortion care can put at risk the pregnant woman's life or health.
When Texas hospitals and providers do not provide emergency abortion care, women are forced to turn to out-of-state hospitals and providers, adding strain to other states' emergency departments that are already struggling with overcrowding, long wait times, and staff shortages. The added strain causes more delays and threatens the safety and health of all patients who need emergency care.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include 15 Texas women whose health, fertility, and lives were put at risk by Texas's draconian anti-abortion laws. In the amicus brief, the multistate coalition supported the women's argument that Texas's laws endanger the lives and health of pregnant women in the state. The coalition further argued that Texas's laws would also have serious repercussions on the health systems of other states.
Attorney General Torrez is joined in this effort by the attorneys general of California, New York, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia. This coalition of state attorneys general is united in its fight for access to emergency abortion care for women in Texas and beyond.