When I talked to Amanda Zurawski in early August, she had just finished: a Women For Harris call for Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris; a speaking stint in Houston for U.S. Senate Democratic candidate Colin Allred; and a video shoot that will appear at the Democratic National Convention later this month. To most, that would be a hectic schedule—but Zurawski considers it a “rare quiet” week. The 37-year-old Austinite has become one of the leading public faces in the battle for reproductive rights, not just in Texas but nationally. That means near-constant travel as a campaign surrogate, first for President Joe Biden and now for Harris. “I travel whenever and wherever they need me,” she said.
Zurawski has made it a mission to share her own tragic story as a way to educate others about the suffering inflicted by draconian abortion bans. At 18 weeks pregnant, she learned she would lose her daughter due to health complications. After being denied potentially life-saving pregnancy termination in 2022 due to Texas’ strict abortion bans—which only offer ambiguous medical exceptions for patients and punish doctors with up to life in prison if they perform the procedure—Zurawksi developed sepsis and was pushed to the brink of death. Following her harrowing ordeal, she went on to file Zurawski v. Texas, a historic lawsuit later joined by some 20 other women who shared similar stories, to force Texas officials to clarify the vague medical emergency exceptions within the law. Ultimately, the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court rejected the demand for clarification this summer.
Disappointed as Zurawski is, the loss hasn’t deterred her from staying active as an abortion rights advocate. The Observer spoke with her about her journey from trauma to political activism to, perhaps, one day running for political office in Texas.
TO: After your near-death experience as a result of the law, how and when did you decide you wanted to take on the State of Texas in court?
Ten days after I was discharged from the hospital, my husband and I were telling my story. Some of the hospital residents connected us with an OB-GYN-led organization focused on reproductive justice. And they helped connect us with a national media interview. When the article came out [in October 2022], I had no idea what it would become. It was kind of a slow burn, more and more people eventually heard my story across the country and even the vice president tweeted it. At that point we were put in touch with a few different legal teams to talk about filing a lawsuit. I didn’t want to file suit against my doctors, they tried their best and were following the law—and at first, I didn’t realize you could actually sue a state. After about five minutes of meeting with the Center for Reproductive Rights, we immediately clicked and I felt comfortable and knew they would have my best interest at heart.
I was pretty optimistic when we filed the lawsuit. I’m a naturally ambitious person. I’m a runner, I have a lot of endurance and try to think positively. Even though we didn’t win at the end of the day, we did win in the sense that our suit helped shift people’s hearts and minds, it helped people feel outraged, it helped people get politically involved, it helped ignite things in the movement.
How did you feel about the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling?
The ruling showcased how egregious and inhumane the Court is. The ruling very clearly indicated they don’t care about protecting Texans, they don’t care about our safety and our health. They didn’t even acknowledge most of our names in the decision—they basically erased a lot of us, it was gross.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t terribly surprised by their ruling, but it still felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. It felt like a sucker punch. And I was just sad that the challenge was over after fighting for so many months.
You and other plaintiffs have had to reshare your traumatic stories very publicly. What has that experience been like?
It does get difficult to share my story over and over again across the country. There are times when I do break down—I get flashbacks to being in the hospital struggling for my life and get a bit paralyzed. But every time I see my story resonate with a new person, it gives me the motivation to keep going. I’ve seen how our stories have helped move the needle for people on this issue. And sharing it has allowed me to process the trauma and grief, so in a way it’s been very healing.
Did you ever imagine you would become a reproductive rights advocate?
No, definitely not. It’s such a great honor to be part of the reproductive rights movement, it’s such a beautiful and supportive community. But I never would have expected this to be my life. I’ve always been educated on politics, but the dive into political activism is not one I ever anticipated. I was always pro-choice but it’s not something we talked about growing up. I was of course so outraged when Roe fell, but I was going through fertility treatments and wasn’t thinking that I would want or need an abortion. I certainly didn’t yet understand how I would need an abortion to prevent major bodily harm and, potentially, death.
[Becoming an activist] taught me that every person’s voice is very powerful and I try to encourage anyone who feels passionate about this topic to not stop talking about it. Part of me does believe I was put on earth to do this, that this is my purpose in life. And that’s been very fulfilling.
After the court ruling, you said, “This is not the last that you will be hearing from us in this fight for justice.” You’ve also indicated you may run for office. What are your plans?
I have said that. Right now, I want to do everything I can to help Democrats get elected in November and then we’ll see. It’s certainly still on the table and I’m interested in exploring running for office in Texas, but my focus is making sure candidates like Harris and Allred get elected—then I can figure it out afterward when the time is right.
What is one thing you wish people understood about Texas abortion laws?
I want people to understand that while it is a healthcare issue it goes even beyond that. It’s an economic issue that is forcing businesses to leave the state or not locate here. And it’s an education issue, too. College kids don’t want to go to school in a banned state. Medical students don’t want to study here, and the ones who do aren’t getting a complete education because of the law. Doctors are leaving the state in droves. There are so many negative far-reaching effects of the law and I want people to be aware of them.
I also want to stress that reproductive rights are not just a women’s issue. Reproductive rights are human rights, and something every American is guaranteed. They affect and impact everyone, and restricting our human rights is restricting our freedom. Because how free are we as Texans, as a country, if over half of us don’t even have the ability to make decisions for our own bodies?
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
