Council members are returning from their summer meeting recess for a special called session around District 4 Council Member Chito Vela's GRACE Act. That measure—which has inspired similar policies elsewhere in Texas and other cities nationwide since it was drafted this spring—would effectively decriminalize abortion in Austin. If passed, city personnel would be directed to deprioritize investigations into the outcomes of pregnancies, including abortions, and related health care.
The GRACE Act would also block the use of city funds for any surveillance, data cataloging or other investigation related to abortion. The measure exempts cases when force or criminal negligence is involved and when abortions or other reproductive care may be evidence tied to a separate criminal investigation.
“We really wanted to prioritize the health of people in Austin and defend them from the draconian punishments included in the Texas trigger ban. Ninety-nine years in prison is obviously just completely ridiculous as a punishment for something that shouldn’t be a crime," District 4 Communications Director Jenna Hanes told Community Impact Newspaper.
Hanes said Vela's team believes the GRACE Act is "close to a consensus" item for Austin City Council ahead of a final vote. So far, Mayor Steve Adler and Council Members Vanessa Fuentes, Leslie Pool, Paige Ellis, Kathie Tovo and Alison Alter have co-sponsored the resolution.
Additional measures
An anti-discrimination ordinance related to individuals' reproductive health decisions, first proposed by Fuentes in May, is also on council's July 21 agenda. Additionally, two items from Adler would support measures related to birth control and travel for employees seeking reproductive care services.
Council passed the Fuentes resolution earlier this spring in anticipation of the U.S. Supreme Court's opinion rolling back reproductive rights. That action kicked off a process to codify new rules for Austinites based on their reproductive health decisions. Council's approval of the finalized ordinance this week would add protections for those seeking employment or housing, regardless of their health care histories, to city code.
Fuentes and Vela jointly requested a special meeting to consider their measures in late June.
"This week's Special Called Meeting will prove City Council's commitment to reproductive rights and demonstrate that local governments can rise to the occasion and take decisive action when it matters most," Fuentes said in a statement. "Because of our initiative, movement building, and collaboration, we've already seen many local governments across the state and country adopt abortion decriminalization bills. With our federal officials facing constant gridlock, it's up to us to find new ways to take action and provide resources for our most vulnerable communities."
The first of Adler's two July 21 resolutions centers on birth control and follows his item regarding family planning that passed alongside the anti-discrimination resolution in the spring. The new resolution asks City Manager Spencer Cronk to consider how Austin could roll out a public education campaign about long-term birth control, such as vasectomies, with a report on those efforts due to council by Sept. 30. The item would also ensure that health insurance coverage for city employees includes low-cost birth control.
Adler's second resolution requests Cronk budget for additional benefits in the city's fiscal year 2022-23 spending plan. Those benefits would cover employees' access to abortion outside of Texas.
The July 21 special meeting will be followed by council's first regular session in over a month July 28. On that date, officials are set to vote on a resolution formally condemning recent Supreme Court actions, including its opinion aimed at Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
