A group of conservative Texas legislators on July 7 sent a letter to Dallas law firm Sidley Austin threatening to file future legislation to outlaw the firm’s ability to cover the cost of abortions and reproductive health travel costs for its employees.
The letter was signed by 11 legislators in the Texas Freedom Caucus, including North Texas state Reps. Matt Krause, whose District 93 includes portions of Fort Worth, Arlington, and northern Tarrant County; Matt Shaheen, of District 66 in Plano; and Brian Harrison, who represents Waxahachie, Ennis, and Midlothian in District 10.
It is addressed to North Texas lawyer Yvette Ostolaza, who chairs the firm’s management committee and effectively functions as its CEO. Sidley Austin is one of the largest firms in the country and is one of several large companies that has promised to pay for its employees’ reproductive health costs following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade and the state of Texas’ restrictive abortion law.
“It also appears that Sidley has been complicit in illegal abortions that were performed in Texas before and after the Supreme Court’s ruling… We are writing to inform you of the consequences that you and your colleagues will face for these actions,” the letter says.
The 11 legislators would need to generate enough support for the bill to pass out of committee and then be considered and approved by the full House and Senate before it would end up on the governor’s desk for his signature.
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