AUSTIN, Texas — Days after a draft opinion by the U.S. Supreme Court was leaked, gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke and former state senator Wendy Davis spoke at an event to share their frustration.
The draft was written in February and is not a final opinion. A final decision by SCOTUS is expected in June or July of this year. In the meantime, leaders across Texas and various organizations released statements on the leaked draft and what it could mean for residents. Many GOP leaders, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, expressed their gratitude for the potential decision.
"If this report is true, this is nothing short of a massive victory for life and will save the lives of millions of innocent babies," Cruz tweeted.
At the event on May 5, O'Rourke referenced the recent issues surrounding the foster care system and child protective services in the State of Texas.
"If this was about life, the governor would've done something about Child Protective Services a long time ago," O'Rourke said.
Current Gov. Greg Abbott has remained largely silent on the Supreme Court's leaked draft.
A recent report from the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) shows 104 children have died in the child welfare system since 2020.
Davis urged those frustrated with the Supreme Court's potential decision to vote.
“We are voting for our children and our future," Davis said. "We are voting for our daughters and our granddaughters. We are voting for our freedoms and liberties.”
In the wake of the leaked opinion on Roe v. Wade, protests broke out in Austin and around the nation.
Pro-abortion rights organizations across Texas held rallies at federal courthouses to protest the pending decision in another case, Whole Woman's Health v. Jackson. In April, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered district court Judge Robert Pitman to dismiss challenges to the Texas Heartbeat Act, effectively ending the primary lawsuit over the relatively new state law.
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