University of Texas students rally for abortion, transgender rights on Day of Action

Several dozen students at the University of Texas held a rally Thursday advocating for abortion access and transgender rights as part of a nationwide walkout for reproductive justice.

During the on-campus protest, students and representatives of abortion advocacy organizations spoke out against the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the Texas law that bans nearly all abortions in the state except when a pregnant person’s life is in danger.

At the event, attendees, who were mostly graduate students, shouted, “Trans rights are human rights” and “Abortion is a human right,” and many people brought posters with pro-abortion phrases such as “Abbott sucks more than OU,” “Don’t force me to live by your religious beliefs,” and “If a vagina shot bullets, it wouldn’t be regulated.”

UT students organized the rally as part of a national Day of Student Action for Reproductive Justice held by the Graduate Student Action Network, a national organization that formed after Roe v. Wade was overturned to advocate for reproductive justice, LGBTQ rights and other progressive causes.

Students at 44 campuses in 25 states held rallies, marches, resource fairs and other events Thursday to advocate for abortion access throughout the U.S., as well as for trans-inclusive policies, Plan B vending machines and improved support for student parents at their universities, according to local and national organizers.

Speakers at the event encouraged everyone in attendance to register to vote by Tuesday for the Nov. 8 election, donate to funds that help people pay for abortions, and sign petitions advocating for the federal government and UT to take action to protect abortion rights. UT officials declined to comment on the rally.

Julia Draper, a UT law student, said abortion access is under serious attack in Texas, and people need to fight “tooth and nail” to get it back and protect it in states such as Texas. Draper is also the vice president of outreach for the UT Law School’s chapter of If When How, which advocates for reproductive justice awareness.

“A lot of people think that reproductive justice is just about abortion access, and that's definitely a big part of it ... but there's so much more to reproductive justice than that. Reproductive justice is about making sure that people have the autonomy to make decisions about their own bodies and families, and the community and tools to turn those decisions into action,” Draper said.

Gin Pham, a communications and outreach manager for the Transgender Education Network of Texas, said abortion care is deeply intertwined with justice and safety for transgender people. They criticized laws that restrict the choices that people can make for “their own body” and urged attendees to amplify the voices of marginalized voices affected by abortion bans.

“The criminalization of health care will disproportionately affect Black, Indigenous, folks of color, people with disabilities, migrants, trans and gender-expansive people and queer people — all of whom historically and are continuing to face harsh barriers around not only their health care, but also their lives,” Pham said.

The protest comes a few months after the student-run UT Coalition for Reproductive Justice and Rights published a statement calling for UT leadership to expand sex education and reproductive health care resources, add an emergency contraceptive vending machine on campus and advocate for reproductive health care access.

According to a statement on UT’s Human Resources website, the university provides reproductive health care services for students, such as wellness exams and education, pregnancy tests and information on contraceptives, while also following federal and state laws.

“We acknowledge that members of our campus community have a wide range of opinions on this issue,” the statement from UT said. “Bolstered by our research and teaching missions, our role is to welcome people of all beliefs while maintaining an environment where free speech rights are protected. To that end, the university welcomes free exercise of those rights including the right to assemble, express, and speak.”

Nikita Kakkad, a member of the UT Coalition for Reproductive Justice and Rights and a UT junior, said she’s been "fed up" with state lawmakers making decisions about what she can do with her body since Senate Bill 8 went into effect in September 2021, banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. She believes everyone deserves the rights to the full spectrum of reproductive health care, including abortion access.

“Texas is unfortunately home to so many individuals that want to see a rollback of our reproductive rights, but it is also a home to so many people that believe that reproductive agency is a right and will work tirelessly to get you the care and support that you deserve,” said Kakkad, founder of the UT chapter of Emergency Contraception 4 Every Campus.

The rally closed with a call for attendees to register to vote, call their representatives and — with hopes that someone at the Capitol could hear them — screaming three words at the top of their lungs: “Abortion is freedom!”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: UT students rally for abortion access, transgender rights