HOUSTON – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo introduced a resolution Tuesday to Harris County Commissioners Court opposing the draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion striking down Roe v. Wade.
The judge was joined by Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Dr. Lee Bar Eli, a family physician and patient advocate during the news conference.
Watch the full news conference below:
In a news release on Tuesday, Hidalgo said if formally announced, the decision would trigger a state law outlawing the procedure in Texas, making abortion a felony, including in cases of rape and incest.
Hidalgo called the draft opinion “draconian” and “extreme.”
“As the only woman on Commissioner’s Court, and one of the millions in Harris County, I feel a responsibility to forcefully speak up, given the news of last week,” she said.
According to a recent University of Texas at Austin poll, 78% of Texans believe access to abortion in some form should remain available.
“The people who would be affected the most are the people who can at least leave the state or the country,” Commissioner Ellis said. “This draft opinion is a bad opinion, and I hope it does not become a decision.”