AUSTIN, Texas — At the Distribution Hall in Downtown Austin on Sunday, a feminist "throwdown" with Texan flair paid homage to what would have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
On Jan. 22, local speakers, musicians and women from all walks of life paid homage to Roe v. Wade with a one-night benefit concert that raised funds for The Lilith Fund, MOVE Texas and Black Mamas ATX.
Women in Austin are reflecting on the impact that Roe v. Wade had on their lives 50 years after the case legalized abortion.
"For me and my peers, we could pursue careers and not worry about whether we could access health care, whether we could get the care that we need," attendee Sara Weber said.
Fellow attendee Megan Perkins holds utmost respect for those that sacrificed to provide women's rights.
"There was an understanding for me of the fact that people fought for that to happen, especially women. I had a lot of respect for it," Perkins said.
Trudy Maney, Weber's mother, remembers what life was like for women of her generation before Roe v. Wade legalized abortion.
"Personally, [I] saw lives pretty much ruined over not being able to take care of their situations when they needed to and being forced into bad [or] worse situations because they didn't have the freedom of choice," Maney said.
Weber admitted the decriminalization of abortion gave her generation the freedom to choose their destinies.
"We had options as opposed to just giving up a career, giving up an education, giving up our future because of one scenario," Weber said.
With Roe v. Wade now overturned and abortion now practically banned in Texas except to save the life of the mother, these women said they felt a mutual sense of "defeat, fear and mourning."
"How do you go on living your life knowing this state doesn't support you and your health?" Weber said.
Despite Roe v. Wade being overturned, organizers of the event stated that they will still fight for reproductive rights.
KVUE reached out to several abortion rights opponents who emailed us statements regarding the anniversary. The organizations include the Texas Alliance for Life, Diocese of Austin and Texas Right to Life.
Texas Alliance for Life Communications Director Amy O’Donnell:
"Today we celebrate the overturning of Roe v Wade and the fact that life is now protected in Texas from conception on. Roe was an act of judicial activism from the bench that robbed millions of baby girls of their lives and assaulted the hearts of their mothers. A true feminist mindset recognizes that women do not have to choose between having their babies, planned or unplanned, and achieving great things. It is not either/or; it’s both/and. We, women, can both give birth to our children, no matter the circumstances of their conception, and live successful lives. We do not have to buy into the lie society has perpetuated for decades. It’s insulting to our true capacity.
Any donations toward supporting women are better spent going towards the hundreds of pregnancy help centers, adoption agencies, and maternity homes across our state.
We are grateful that from our elected statewide leaders and legislators to our citizens, the majority of Texans prioritize life. The voters have shown this at the polls, and the legislature has proven this time and again through their generous funding of the state’s Alternatives to Abortion Program, funded at $100 million for the current biennium. This program provides services to women with unplanned pregnancies with the goal that they can successfully carry the baby to term, give birth, and keep the baby or place the baby for adoption. Services are available for three years after birth."
Secretariat Director of Communications & IT; Diocesan Eucharistic Revival Lead Camille Garcia:
"In January 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States effectively removed every legal protection from human beings prior to birth. The legacy of Roe is virtually incalculable. In its wake it has left death and sorrow and turmoil. Millions of lives have been destroyed before birth and even during the very process of being born. Countless women have been traumatized so deeply by abortion that they spend years struggling to find peace, healing, and reconciliation; we have seen and ministered to those women and men.
The Gospel of Christ is the Gospel of Life and that means every life is precious from conception to natural death. Choosing to kill your child in the womb because it is your body removes the responsibility from the woman and man whose decisions ultimately resulted in creating a new human life."
Kimberlyn Schwartz, Texas Right to Life media director:
"Fringe groups like those associated with the Texan Feminist concert believe in abortion at any stage in pregnancy for any reason. Instead of helping pregnant women care for their babies, these groups pit mothers against their children. Pro-Life advocates offer free resources to women and families in difficult or unexpected pregnancies available at TexasPregnancy.org."
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