San Antonio mayor claps back at anti-abortion protesters during Monday event

On Monday, San Antonio anti-abortion protesters did their best to turn an event unveiling a new medical fund for low-income women into a circus.

Planned Parenthood South Texas held the gathering at San Antonio City Hall to discuss its new program aimed at improving access to routine reproductive health care. Even though the fund has little to do with abortion, the presser was nearly derailed by anti-abortion protesters, who heckled speakers and lobbed at least one verbal attack at Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s mother.

Named after former PPST’s board chair member Elise Boyan’s great grandmother, the organization’s Fanny Fund will help uninsured South Texas women receive essential care, including birth control, wellness exams and menopause care.

The fund will underwrite vouchers that will be distributed to trusted community partners and health nonprofits, which will then be distributed to women otherwise unable to afford basic care, PPST CEO and President Laura Terrill said.

“Our patients don’t come to us to make a political statement,” Terill said. “They come to us for the life-saving preventable health care they need. Making this health care available to Texans shouldn’t be controversial. Allowing the Texans to make decisions about their own bodies should not be controversial. We will not back down and we will not be silent.”

The Fanny Fund won’t directly fund abortion, a procedure outlawed in Texas two years ago by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision.

Although PPST does help connect women with abortion-related resources out of state, the Fanny Fund vouchers will only help pay for routine healthcare already provided by the organization. That excludes paying for travel costs for out of state for abortions.

During the duration of the presser, a group of eight protesters carrying signs reading “Chemical Abortion Harms Everbody” and “Adoption is a Healthier Option” heckled Nirenberg, Terrill and others.

At one point, Young Women’s Christian Association Director of Health Equity Corin Reyes pled with the hecklers to show respect for PPST patient advocate Amy Gonzalez, who was scheduled to speak next.

“You have been very rude to this young lady multiple times and asked her to maintain professionalism when you have not maintained that same level of professionalism,” Reyes told the protesters. “So, as we all stand here today, we might have different opinions. Let’s just all be kind to each other. That’s all I have to say about that.”

Immediately following Reyes’ plea, a heckler sitting behind Nirenberg blurted out, “Lord have mercy on your souls.”  The man held a sign reading “Equity Begins in the Womb,”

Nirenberg, who had already shot the man a scathing look earlier in the event, turned to face him. The protester then made a comment about Nirenberg’s mother, which led to the clearly frustrated mayor engaging in a heated exchange with the man.

Following the press conference, some of the protesters stood and began speaking in tongues. The man who made the comment about Nirenberg’s mother refused to acknowledge questions from the Current about the earlier exchange.

After that, protesters began chanting, “For the sake of his powerful passion, have mercy on us and the whole world.” They continued the chant for at least seven minutes after the conclusion of the press conference.

Those exiting the front doors of City Hall afterward were then greeted by San Antonio conservative gadfly Jack Finger, who held a large sign with a photo of a mutilated fetus.

PPST launched the Fanny Fund the same day that San Antonio’s Reproductive Justice Fund began accepting applications.

Some of the $500,000 allocated to the Reproductive Justice Fund could go toward paying for out-of-state travel for abortions. Council members Marc Whyte, Manny Pelaez and John Courage voiced opposition for the fund last week. Pelaez and Courage are both running for mayor.

Nirenberg told reporters during during the press conference’s question-and-answer session that the Fanny Fund could be a good candidate to receive money from the Reproductive Justice Fund.

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This article appears in Jun 12-25, 2024.