 I wanted to address my Senators Cruz and Cornyn, who neither of whom regrettably are in the room right now. But I would like for them to know that what happened to me, I think most people in this room would agree was horrific. But it's a direct result of the policies that they support. I nearly died on their watch. And furthermore, as a result of what happened to me, I may have been robbed of the opportunity to have children in the future. And it's because of the policies that they support. What happened to me was horrible, but I am one of many. And quite frankly, I'm lucky. I'm lucky that I have a husband that could take me to the hospital. I don't have other children that I had to worry about finding healthcare for. I have a job that was understanding that allowed me to grieve for three days as I waited to almost die. What about all of the women that don't have those same opportunities, that don't have access to healthcare, that don't have health insurance, that don't have a partner? What about them? We just watched Amanda Zyrowski confront her state Senators during her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. And I can't imagine that what she did there was easy, but it was absolutely necessary because the policies that her Senators support nearly killed her. And because Texas has barbaric restrictions on abortions with vague exceptions, Amanda, along with four other women, are suing the state to get it to clarify when doctors specifically can legally perform emergency abortions for vulnerable women who need them. Because right now, those exceptions exist, but it's still really unclear. The law is written in a way so as to dissuade doctors from performing abortions on women, even in situations when they need them to save their lives. And the vagueness of that law is nearly killing people, literally. Now, with regard to Amanda's particular story, you could really see the trauma in her eyes. And it's sad because that's gonna follow her for the rest of her life. But with that being said, she is incredibly lucky to be alive considering how sick she was because of Texas's abortion law. The Houston Chronicle writes, Zyrowski was 17 weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with a condition called cervical insufficiency, which had caused her to dilate too soon for her baby to survive. The morning after her water broke, Zyrowski still hadn't gone into labor, but doctors in the emergency room told her there was nothing they could do for her because the baby still had a heartbeat. Zyrowski later developed sepsis, a life-threatening condition, and the hospital agreed to perform the abortion. After delivering and losing her daughter, Willow, Zyrowski developed a secondary infection and it was entered into the intensive care unit where she spent three days. So this was very, very serious. She almost died and she luckily survived, which is good, but still, an experience like that changes you forever. And during her testimony, she referred to the paralyzing trauma that she experiences till this day. And five months ago, she shared her experience with CNN. And I wanna share some of that because it's difficult to really understand how bad it was when we just read it, but when you see them explain it, it really makes it clear that this was very scary for her. I was shaking, my teeth were chattering. I was trying to tell Josh that I didn't feel good. Very quickly, she went downhill very, very fast. She was in a state I've never seen her in. The bacterial infection spreading through her body could have been prevented if she'd been provided an abortion. These barbaric laws prevented her from getting any amount of healthcare when she needed it. Finally, when her temperature hit 103 degrees, her doctors terminated the pregnancy. But Amanda was still sick. Her blood pressure crashed and she needed a blood transfusion. There's a lot of commotion. And I said, what's going on? And they said, we're moving you to the ICU. And I said, why? And they said, you're developing symptoms of sepsis. That was when I was really scared I was gonna lose her. Now, I just wanna emphasize that all of this pain and suffering, totally unnecessary. But because Republicans want to control women, this is the result of that. And these stories popped up immediately after Texas's abortion ban took effect. And one woman in particular was told that she literally had to wait until she got infected before they could remove the fetus because it had cardiac activity, despite the chances of it surviving being slim to none. But still, because there was a heartbeat there, the doctor couldn't act. So they told her, once you're infected, then come back. You'll know when you're infected because you'll be much more sick and the smell will be terrible. It's just, it's honestly a gut-wrenching story. And other women also had nightmarish experiences in Texas as a direct result, again, of the abortion ban supported by men like Ted Cruz and John Cornyn. Here's another one. Marlene Estelle and A.D. De Silva have always wanted a little brother or sister for their daughter, Adelina. Instead, what they got was a nightmare because of a Texas anti-abortion law. I get so angry that I was treated this way because of laws that were passed that by men who have never been pregnant and never will be. Estelle's nightmare started out as a dream come true. After months of trying, she became pregnant late last summer. We were super excited because we didn't think I could get pregnant. An ultrasound at seven and a half weeks showed all was well. But at an ultrasound two weeks later, she said there is no heartbeat, there is no viable pregnancy. Estelle asked her doctor for a standard treatment, a surgery to remove the fetal remains. She says her doctor refused. That surgery, commonly known as a DNC, is the same procedure used to abort a living fetus. She said, well, because of the new law that's passed, you're gonna have to get another ultrasound for me to be able to even do anything for you. Overwhelmed emotionally and physically. The pain would get so severe it would be hard to walk. She went to get a second invasive ultrasound at an imaging center, describing it later in a YouTube video. Someone shoves a wand in my sensitive area and tells me, hey, you lost your baby again. I shouldn't have to go through that twice. So you had to hear it twice that you lost a baby. It's cut-ranging. Because you already know what you're gonna see. It's like seeing it twice, being told that you're not gonna be a mom. Even after that second ultrasound, would your obstetrician give you the surgical procedure? No, no. Estelle had to go get yet another ultrasound showing her dead fetus. So you were walking around carrying a dead fetus. And just emotionally carrying it around and just knowing that there's nothing you could do, it just feels very, it's like I can't grieve or move past it because I'm just walking around carrying it. She ended up carrying around that dead fetus for two entire weeks. I can't imagine what that's like. And to be clear, she wanted to have a baby. But because doctors wanted to legally protect themselves from legal culpability, she couldn't get the healthcare that she needed. And she had to deal with incomprehensible trauma. But there's another story that I wanna share with you. Kaylee Despain got married in Marble Falls, Texas, right out of college. What were your plans for having a family? Oh man, we wanted kids like right away. Late last year, Kaylee, a third grade teacher and her husband, Kate, an electrician were thrilled to learn she was pregnant. But about four months later at a doctor's appointment, he said, this is what a normal heart looks like but this is what your baby's heart looks like. And he was missing heart chambers. Her medical records show more. The fetus had an extra set of chromosomes, a severe brain defect, a severe heart defect, and his lungs were too small. Dr. Leah Tatum is a spokesperson for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. If the fetus develops a term that fetus will deliver and ultimately that baby will suffocate and pass away. Kaylee's doctor was clear. When he's born, he's going to suffocate to death. He may live for a few minutes, he may live for an hour, but he is going to die. Her doctors said they could not perform an abortion, noting in her records, termination is not legal in the state of Texas. I remember her saying, you know, the course of action that I would have taken with a patient a year ago would be to advise them to terminate. He said, that is the safest course of action for you. And it's the most humane course of action for him. And I just remember being so angry and shocked in that moment that I'm being told that my child's not going to survive and that I have to carry him to term no matter what. And carrying him to term could have put Kaylee's life in danger. She was at high risk for several potentially deadly pregnancy complications, blood clots, preeclampsia, and cancer because of an abnormal placenta. Now, to be clear, it's not just Texas with stories like this. This is happening all across the country in states with bans on abortion. And Republican politicians who supported these bans, they are directly responsible. But they're cowards who are now refusing to take ownership for the policies that they've promoted for decades now. And I say this because getting back to Amanda's story, John Cornyn, her senator, responded. And here's what he said after hearing her story and after being accused of supporting the law that nearly killed her. Houston Chronicle continues, Cornyn addressed Zyrowski's case at another point in the hearing. He asked a Texas-based obstetrician and gynecologist also testifying before the committee whether the way her doctor handled the pregnancy was a deviation of the standard of care. Quote, back many years ago, I used to handle medical malpractice cases, said Cornyn, a former judge. And usually when a medical expert says what a doctor did violated the standard of care, that gave rise to a cause of action for medical malpractice. So in other words, it's not the law's fault, it's the fault of doctors. Isn't that convenient? So he's trying to back doctors into even more of a corner because if they're too risk averse, well then they could be hit with medical malpractice suits. But if they're a little bit too hasty in recommending an abortion for a woman who needs it, well then the attorney general of Texas could go after them for performing an abortion on a live fetus. They're just, they're fucked either way really, right? This is why abortion bans were outlawed. This is why Roe v. Wade became a thing because things like this, doctors need to have freedom to make these decisions with their patients. Otherwise it's going to lead to pain and suffering. And if it is medical malpractice, it is state mandated medical malpractice that is your fault, John Cornyn. It is the fault of you and every other lawmaker who is dictating what healthcare is appropriate for people. And to be clear, I'm not simply just advocating for exceptions to abortion bans to become more clear. Abortions should not be banned, period full stop. The government should not have the authority to play doctor and dictate reproductive healthcare choices for citizens. That is not a choice that the state should be involved with in any way possible. Abortion is healthcare, period. And to deny healthcare to people who need it is a denial of one's human rights. So these so-called pro-life politicians, i.e. forced brothers, they're gonna have blood on their hands for the rest of their lives all because they're too fucking stupid and radicalized to understand that what is best for people is for them to mind their own goddamn business.