A Black women’s reproductive justice organization, In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, is criticizing Texas’ near-total abortion ban following the publication of a ProPublica investigation into the 2023 death of 28-year-old mother Tierra Walker, who died at 20 weeks pregnant from preeclampsia complications.
The organization said Walker’s death highlights a growing national crisis stemming from restrictive abortion laws and their impact on maternal health, especially for Black women.
In a statement released following the investigation, President and CEO of In Our Own Voice, Regina Davis Moss, discussed how she believed Walker’s death reflects the broader issue of the toll that restrictive abortion bans across America are taking on women.
Davis Moss asserted, “Over 90 doctors were involved in Walker’s medical care, yet all of them ignored her deep concerns about preeclampsia out of fear of prosecution,” emphasizing that because of legal consequences under the state’s abortion ban, doctors in Walker’s care were fearful to intervene.
The release continued with Davis Moss’ concerns that criminal penalties attached to the abortion law have influenced clinical decision-making, stating that “Tierra Walker did not die — she was killed as a direct result of Texas’ near-total abortion ban.” The ProPublica investigation detailed Walker’s repeated pleas for help due to symptoms later revealed to be preeclampsia. According to the investigation, these symptoms persisted until Walker was found unresponsive by her 15-year-old son on his birthday.
Davis Moss connected Walker’s case to other high-profile maternal deaths across the country, naming Amber Nicole Thurman, Candi Miller and Josseli Barnica as examples of what she describes as the consequences of policies that limit and criminalize reproductive health and abortion access.
“Their deaths were not accidents,” Davis Moss stated. “They were consequences of harmful policy that prioritizes ideology and politics over safety and maternal health.”
ProPublica’s findings paralleled what advocates have long warned, reporting that “near-total abortion bans only exacerbate the systemic inequities our communities experience, and Black women are paying the price with our lives.”
With this crisis compounding others, advocates warn the distress will affect not only day-to-day life but long-term health outcomes. Medicaid cuts and the expiration of key Affordable Care Act protections mean fewer resources for families already struggling to survive.
ProPublica says “we are in a moment of crisis. The only solution is Reproductive Justice.”
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