When I ran for office in 2018, I was very public about my position on abortion rights. People said it wasn’t a local issue, but the truth is it is an issue at every level of government.

 

As Gov. Abbott and the legislature have rolled back abortion rights, the city has offered support in ways that it can.

 

Here is how I’ve helped deliver on abortion rights:

 

• Authorized the City to provide legal support - I wrote the 2021 Abortion Access Resolution authorizing the City of Austin Law Department to submit an Amicus Brief (friend of the court) in opposition to SB8, the Unconstitutional law that criminalizes people from seeking an abortion at a stage before many people even know they are pregnant.

 

• Abortion Access Logistical Support - cosponsored the 2019 and 2020 budget riders allocating money for transportation, lodging, childcare, and missed wages for individuals who had to take time off work to travel to receive a safe, constitutionally-protected abortion procedure.

 

• GRACE Act - In 2022 I cosponsored the GRACE Act, an initiative that instructs police to deprioritize investigations of those seeking to access abortion. This effort has become a model for other cities around the state and nation.

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