Jill Biden invites Austin couple to State of the Union to highlight abortion access
WASHINGTON — An Austin woman who nearly died after being denied a medical intervention because of Texas’ abortion laws will be one of first lady Jill Biden’s guests at the State of the Union address Tuesday.
Amanda Zurawski and her husband, Josh, will join Biden in her viewing box for the president’s annual speech in order to highlight the administration’s desire to address abortion access, according to the White House.
Last year, Zurawski’s water broke when she was only 18 weeks pregnant. Although there was no way her fetus would ultimately survive, there was still cardiac activity, so her doctor refused to induce labor, citing the state’s abortion laws. Instead, they sent her home. Only after Zurawski developed sepsis, a life-threatening infection, were doctors willing to terminate her pregnancy.
Texas’ near-total abortion ban allows the procedure only to save the life of the pregnant patient. But since the law went into effect this summer, doctors have reported delaying care due to confusion over the exceptions and fear of prosecution.
The Zurawskis helped campaign for Beto O’Rourke in his challenge against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott last year, appearing in one of O’Rourke’s last ads. During his campaign, Abbott indicated interest in revisiting the abortion law to ensure doctors don't delay necessary medical care needed to prevent life-threatening complications.
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/02/07/biden-state-of-the-union-texas-zurawski/
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