Pro-choice groups in Texas this week were hopeful that thousands of women in the state could better obtain abortion care despite state restrictions after Austin's city council approved a new public fund to support access for those in need of reproductive care.
The state capital's city council on Tuesday night voted 10-1 in favor of a $150,000 fund which people will be able to draw from to pay for childcare, travel expenses, and lodging when they obtain abortion care.
The fund is the country's first to be allocated specifically for these types of logistical expenses, which serve as barriers to care for many women—especially in states like Texas where dozens of reproductive health clinics have been shut down in recent years.
The City Council's decision was "a direct response to the combination of abortion bans that have been passed throughout the year and the abortion bans sweeping the country," Aimee Arrambide, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, told the Texas Tribune.
AMAZING news out of Texas! Austin becomes the first city in the country to allocate funds that will help low-income people afford the transportation, lodging, and childcare costs that often come with accessing abortion care! https://t.co/U6218IOyMA #AbortionAccessATX
— NARAL (@NARAL) September 11, 2019
The fund was approved days after state legislators passed S.B. 22, a law prohibiting governments in Texas from giving state and local funds and public resources to reproductive health clinics.
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Wow that's amazing congratulations to them for putting out such a progressive measure to defend women's rights in a year of having them viciously attacked.
Every major city in the South should offer these services if there states are not going to fund it.
Lmao it reminds me of how much Austin hates the rest of the state it exists in. I have friends who work in Abbott's office that just loathe him. Good for Austin! This shouldn't even need to exist though, as states should offer accessible reproductive healthcare period. But I think in my 25 years in Texas I saw less than 5 planned parenthoods ever, and they always looked like impoverished shacks in old strip malls.
Austin hates Texas? Austin is pretty god damn proud to be part of Texas from what I understand.
The rest of Texas ain't anything like Austin, so what's Texas to Austin is not Texas to the rest of Texas. Plus Austin is forever a dark blue dropped trapped in a Texas-sized sea of bright red republican politics, which it hates. Just listening to the hateful shit people said during the town halls about paid sick leave getting legalized in Austin was mindblowing.
I've watched Greg Casar for a little while. IMO he's definitely going to be a career politician, but if he gets shit done, I'm not going to complain.
Lol get fucked Brisco.
I've really enjoyed my time in Austin thus far.
Holy shit, when I started reading this thread I was going to reply "How long until the right wing tries to criminalize Austin?" but I forgot it's 2019 and snarky comments are made reality.
Every major city in Texas is blue: Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso. All blue.
And I've never heard of people in Austin hating the rest of Texas. Seems made up.
Was very happy to see the results from this vote. Funding travel like this is almost a necessity in the state of Texas due to our state government's fascistic and systematic dismantling of clinics outside of the major cities.
Sure, subvert the will of the people in Austin because they disagree with your politics. This is truly democracy at its finest!
This is a very outdated view of Austin vs Texas.
Maybe 15-20 years ago when Austin was the only really progressive city that would have been a true statement. I remember during the constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage it was Travis County vs. The World in 2004. That was basically a hold-over from the Bush years when Austin was the only major city in Texas consistently voting against Dubya and our D.A. was busy getting Tom Delay out of office.
But in the last decade the rest of the major cities in the state are rapidly catching up to Austin, and Austin has also mellowed somewhat. We're less Boulder and more Denver.
That said, fucking YESSSS. Go Austin.
Start a movement, Austin. You beautiful, gorgeous, life-affirming city.
This.
Stevie Ray Vaughan was from Dallas. Townes was from Houston/Fort Worth. Joe Ely was from Lubbock. All artists are associated with Austin music (yes I know Townes is also part of Houston and Nashville music, shut up), so yeah, Austin likes being part of Texas, especially when it come to music.
This.
Stevie Ray Vaughan was from Dallas. Townes was from Houston/Fort Worth. Joe Ely was from Lubbock. All artists are associated with Austin music (yes I know Townes is also part of Houston and Nashville music, shut up), so yeah, Austin likes being part of Texas, especially when it come to music.
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I just disagree. Lived in Texas for 25 years as a gay man, raised in Houston, worked in Dallas, was in Austin last June. The "blue" parts of Texas are diet blue still filled with bigots and Austin is drastically more liberal than anything else in Texas.
It also btw hosts the only nude beach in the state since they're not prudes.
Hippie Hollow? Who wants to see a bunch of naked smelly hippies?
Have you been there? Attractive people are there plus there are fun boat parties lol
Ha ha, I'm just kidding.
Oh man, I would love to see Austin throw the craziest boat party ever.
I thought the same thing.
These fucks will talk about how important state's rights are but will sue cities for daring to improve themselves.
Oh, they will. Just like the paid leave ordinances in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio.