Austin City Council approves resolution to decriminalize abortion

The Austin City Council approved legislation on Thursday aimed at protecting abortion rights, even as the state of Texas moves to make it tougher to get the procedure.

The resolution approved by the council is called the Guarding the Right to Abortion Care for Everyone (GRACE) Act, which would protect “the right of individuals to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions.”

The resolution limits city funds from going towards collecting information for the state from women who seek abortions and their health care providers. It also urges law enforcement not to prioritize state criminal laws concerning abortions and other reproductive health care actions.

The Austin city resolution also seeks funding to educate Austin residents on birth control options, including long-term to permanent options, such as vasectomies. It also ensures that city employees and their spouses have health insurance coverage for reproductive care.

In a draft of the resolution, the City Council wrote that “the City of Austin honors the rights of pregnant people to bodily autonomy and control over their private medical decisions.”

Back in May, a spokesperson for Austin City Council member José Vela told The Hill, “[The GRACE Act] does not directly halt enforcement, but it severely limits the ability of the city or any staff to collect or provide evidence for prosecutions. It also preemptively bans surveillance of anyone or anything related to suspected abortions outside of some limited exceptions, like coercion or force.”

The passing of the GRACE Act comes as the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade late last month, triggering abortion bans and restrictions in many states across the country.

The state of Texas has had a law since September 2021 which bans abortions at approximately six weeks, before many women are even aware that they are pregnant. The measure also provides a “bounty” of $10,000 for people who report health care providers who perform abortions in violation of the law.