Editor’s note: The San Antonio Report is pleased to feature the weekly bigcitysmalltown podcast hosted by Robert Rivard, co-founder of the Report. We’ll be publishing a brief synopsis of the podcast each Tuesday.
In a podcast episode marking the anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, Laura Terrill, the local Planned Parenthood leader, said that the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling overturning Roe is “the canary in the coal mine” of attempts to restrict abortion rights in the U.S.
“The Dobbs decision, which was the pivotal decision that the U.S. Supreme Court decided that returned the decision-making power regarding abortion access to the states,” the Planned Parenthood South Texas CEO told bigcitysmalltown podcast host Robert Rivard. “That case was the culmination of decades of attacks by the opposition. We have seen legislatures across the country introduce more and more pieces of legislation attacking access to abortion, gestational bans, attacks on abortion providers. … It took them 50 years, but they step-by-step dismantled access.”
The Dobbs decision “emboldened” abortion foes, Terrill said: “The attacks are unrelenting and we don’t see them letting up anytime soon.”
Attempts by the Texas Legislature and state leaders to restrict Planned Parenthood’s ability to operate have made providing basic health care in rural areas of the state even more difficult, Terrill added.
Terrill moved into the Planned Parenthood South Texas CEO role last year following the retirement of longtime CEO Jeffrey Hons. Laura joined the organization in 2012 as executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon in Portland. Before coming to San Antonio, she served as vice president of external affairs at Planned Parenthood of Montana in Bozeman.
Visit bigcitysmalltown to listen to Episode 40 with Planned Parenthood South Texas CEO Laura Terrill, or listen at the link below.
