Draconian Texas abortion law represents a threat to Fresno women and their bodies

As Fresno faith leaders, our personal views regarding abortion may differ, but we are united in our outrage at the cruelty of what the U.S. Supreme Court just allowed to happen in Texas — the enactment of a draconian abortion ban that leaves enforcement to “bounty-hunting” private citizens while also punishing women in the state who have the fewest resources and are most in need of care.

If this law is found to be constitutional, we fear a ripple effect could even impact the future of reproductive healthcare for women in the Central Valley. It has already been tried here once, only eight years ago, when the Bakersfield City Council seriously considered a resolution banning abortion in that city.

While we represent different religious traditions, we strongly share the belief that, as faith leaders, it is our sacred duty to prioritize and protect the most vulnerable among us. This includes all of women’s health concerns — including ending an unintended pregnancy.

The Texas law, which bans abortion after six weeks and has no exception for victims of rape or incest, is especially insidious because it empowers anti-abortion advocates to become vigilantes, awarding them $10,000 for every successful lawsuit filed against a Texas abortion provider or anyone who “aids or abets” an abortion in that state after six weeks. This could include a family member, a Lyft driver who takes someone to a clinic, or even a trusted pastor.

If that $10,000 bounty sounds familiar, it’s because the 2013 proposed Bakersfield resolution started as an ordinance that would have allowed residents to be sued for $10,000 if they used, prescribed, purchased, or distributed hormonal birth control or had an abortion. It is a reminder that it’s not impossible for a radical anti-abortion law to be seriously considered in California.

Texas sets a precedent that could be replicated in other states, counties, and even cities. Access to reproductive health and bodily autonomy could continue to be all but eliminated in states across the country as politicians — the majority who are white men — are again controlling women’s bodies, many of which are bodies of color. Meanwhile, Christian extremists are spreading a disinformation campaign on the airwaves and on social media about the true intent of the law.

We have considered what the Texas law could mean for how we care for our congregations and provide spiritual counsel. Clergy members will be forced to forgo conversations with anyone in Texas who is seeking support in making a decision about abortion — or they risk being sued. This violates a clergy person’s constitutional freedom to practice religion.

If we were to speak to a friend or family member who lives in Texas and we discuss the possibility of her ending a pregnancy, we could face a lawsuit. If we exchange an email with a friend in Texas struggling with this personal choice, we could be also be accused and would need to cover the financial costs of a legal defense.

We believe the decision to seek an abortion is a private matter between a woman, her doctor, and, for some, her clergy person and her God. The Texas law rips that privacy away, rupturing relationships and potentially destroying futures.

During the heated abortion-ban debate in Bakersfield eight years ago, statewide organizations created a social media campaign to protect women who lived in the city. The hashtag was #Standwithbakersfieldwomen.

If the Texas law is replicated, could there one day be a new hashtag circulating — #Standwithcentralvalleywomen? The 2021 California gubernatorial recall election is an example of how the reproductive-rights landscape could change here if an extreme anti-abortion candidate was elected with only a small fraction of the vote.

Now, supporting advocacy efforts such as abortion-access isn’t only to help people who live in other states. It could happen here. It’s already happening to thousands of women in Texas. This is a grave injustice that moves us to stand with them, to speak out to protect our communities — and sound a clarion warning.