Dallas — Dr. Austin Dennard, an obstetrician-gynecologist who fled Texas to perform an abortion, is in the U.S. House of Representatives as President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress.
She was invited by North Texas Congressman Colin Allred, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate.
“I never imagined I would be attending the State of the Union, but I am extremely honored,” Dennard told CBS News Texas.
She said she hopes her presence there will help spread the word about Texas' abortion ban.
The only exception to the ban is if the mother's life is in danger.
Two years ago, she underwent an ultrasound at 11 weeks pregnant and immediately noticed a devastating and fatal condition in which her baby's skull and brain did not fully develop.
Dennard said, “I knew the diagnosis the moment I saw the ultrasound screen.''
“I knew something was wrong with my pregnancy. It was a moment I'll never forget, and I still tear up when I think about it. I hope this isn't true and this is a healthy pregnancy, but the doctors knew what I was feeling. ”
When asked if her life was in danger at the time, Dennard said: “Here's the thing: At the moment I was diagnosed with an anencephalic pregnancy, my life was not in immediate danger. I wasn't bleeding. I was in danger. ” Not infected. ”
“So abortion was not an option for me and I had to flee the state like a criminal to get an abortion out of state.”
Dennard is part of a group of women who sued the state, and the case is currently before the Texas Supreme Court.
But groups like Texas Alliance for Life say they want to protect unborn children, regardless of diagnosis, and want to prevent any weakening of exceptions to the state's abortion ban.
Dennard said she feels abandoned by the state and wants the Legislature to loosen restrictions.
Republicans, who control the governor's mansion and both chambers of the state Legislature, are unlikely to do so.
But Dennard said there is hope.
“If we start by lifting restrictions on what the medical community calls fetal abnormalities, that's a start. But that's not enough. Roe alone wasn't enough. We really need to protect women. .”
Watch Eye On Politics airing and streaming Sunday mornings at 7:30 a.m. on CBS News Texas.
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