AUSTIN, Texas — Despite Texas having a near-total ban on abortion, leaders in Austin have approved a contract that would give $100,000 to a nonprofit organization that helps women get abortion-related care out of state.
On Thursday, council members signed off on awarding the money to the group Jane's Due Process. Executive Director Lucie Arvallo said the money would be split with Fund Texas Choice, another organization that helps people get abortion-related care.
Jane's Due Process, which helps women ages 17 and under, will get $30,000 while Fund Texas Choice will get $70,000. The organizations don't perform abortion procedures or provide medication, but they do provide travel, meals and other accommodations and services.
"The reality is that folks are having to navigate almost insurmountable barriers in order to access abortion, and that becomes even more impossible without practical support organizations like Jane's Due Process and Fund Texas Choice that help them through what it looks like to navigate that," Arvallo said.
Arvallo noted that since the reversal of Roe v. Wade, costs to provide the needed services have tripled.
The approved contract comes on the heels of a controversial presidential election where many women have now raised questions about their reproductive rights.
During Tuesday's election, seven states voted to safeguard abortion rights through their state constitutions: Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada and New York.
Arvallo said the city's move to help in that access sends a strong message of hope in a state where abortion is not a reality.
"Austin and Travis County residents [should know] that they're not alone when seeking abortion care, and that we as a support network aren't going anywhere, regardless of who's in office," Arvallo said.
However, the city is in the midst of a legal battle. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the city of Austin back in September when council members incorporated a $400,000 abortion fund into the city's 2024-2025 budget.
Paxton argued that it was an illegal use of public funds and violated the state's constitutional gift clause.
"What I know is that our attorney general is out of step with everyday Texans. And so, to me, it's just important that we continue to defend and provide, and pass policies that are truly reflective of our values," Austin Councilmember Vanessa Fuentes said. "Our state legislature isn't actually reflective of the everyday Texans values and sentiments around basic access to health care."
Fuentes, who backed the proposal and the budget amendment for the program, said the city plans to work with other organizations to distribute the remaining money.
As far as the fund toward Jane's Due Process and Fund Texas Choice, city staff will work with the organization to administer the money.
"It's important that we have local policy makers who are willing to take up the mantle and fight back," Fuentes said.