‘I Nearly Died On Their Watch’: Witness Tears Into Texas Sens. Cruz and Cornyn During Hearing on Abortion Access

Amanda Zurawski, who is suing the state of Texas after being denied an abortion when she prematurely went into labor, testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday and tore into her state’s two senators.

“I wanted to address my senators, Cruz and Cornyn, neither of whom regrettably, are in the room right now,” Zurawski said as she answered a question from Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA).

“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,” Zurawski continued, adding:

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 health care 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 health care, that don’t have health insurance, that don’t have a partner? What about them?

“Thank you. Thank you,” replied Padilla as the hearing continued.

Zurawski and her husband were expecting their first child, who they had named Willow, when she went into labor at a time when the “pregnancy was still weeks from viability, there was no chance Willow would survive,” reported the Intercept in March.

“I asked what could be done to ensure the respectful passing of our baby and … protect me from a deadly infection,” Zurawski recalled in a recent interview. She was told under Texas law that she could not receive an abortion until her health deteriorated to the point the hospital’s ethics board would allow the procedure. The Intercept reported on the incident, writing:

“For days I was locked in this bizarre and avoidable hell.” Zurawski developed life-threatening sepsis; only then did the hospital agree that she was sick enough to qualify for abortion under Texas law. “What I needed was … a standard medical procedure,” she said. “An abortion would have prevented the unnecessary harm and suffering that I endured.”

Watch the full clip above via C-SPAN.