Anti-abortion groups sue San Antonio over new Reproductive Justice Fund

A group of anti-abortion activists, including Texas Right to Life and the San Antonio Family Association, has sued to shut down San Antonio’s recently launched Reproductive Justice Fund, which distributes city funds to nonprofits offering reproductive care.

The suit, filed Tuesday in Bexar County District Court, alleges the $500,000 fund is illegal because it gives taxpayer money to “criminal organizations that violate the state’s abortion laws.” The suit further claims the fund’s “predominant purpose” is to help women who go out of state to obtain abortions and the advocacy groups that facilitate their travel.

City officials had no immediate statement on the suit Tuesday morning but said one is forthcoming.

Some backers of the fund, approved last month by City Council, said they hoped it could help low-income women travel across state lines to seek abortion care. However, it’s unclear whether any of the money has been spent for that purpose.

Indeed, during the debate over the fund’s creation, advocates said the money would primarily support emergency contraception, STI testing  and doula care for low-income women and women of color.

In an emailed statement, Texas Right to Life officials said they will use the suit to obtain records that  “reveal the extent” to which abortion advocacy groups such as the Lilith Fund for Reproductive Equity, the Buckle Bunnies Fund and Sueños Sin Fronteras are violating Texas law.

“We will not allow the City of San Antonio to give taxpayer money to criminal organizations that engage in abortion trafficking and disregard the Pro-Life [sic} laws of our state,” Texas Right to Life President John Seago said an emailed statement. “We will be taking discovery from every one of these abortion funds to expose their violations of state law and the criminal activities of their members and donors. Any other city in Texas that tries to give taxpayer money to abortion funds or abortion-assistance organizations will be met with a similar lawsuit.”

Stay tuned.

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This article appears in Oct 4-17, 2023.