from States Newsroom
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By Elisha Brown |
“Doctors all turned a blind eye as Tierra was dying, and refused to give her the abortion she needed to save her life. She deserves justice.”
— LaTanya Walker, aunt of Texas woman who died in 2024
Tierra Walker, left, and her aunt, LaTanya Walker, during their childhood in San Antonio. The Walker family is suing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a county district attorney and providers over Tierra Walker’s death in 2024 from a pregnancy-related condition. (Photo courtesy of the Walker Family)
The family of a Texas woman who died after she was denied an abortion for a high-risk pregnancy filed a lawsuit this week against the state attorney general, the head of the Texas Medical Board, the Bexar County district attorney, a San Antonio hospital system and two doctors.
“No one else should have to experience what my family has gone through. Tierra was the glue that held our family together, and now she’s gone.” LaTanya Walker, the deceased woman’s aunt, said in a statement. “Doctors all turned a blind eye as Tierra was dying, and refused to give her the abortion she needed to save her life. She deserves justice.”
When she found out she was pregnant in 2024, Tierra Walker asked her provider whether she could get an abortion, considering she previously gave birth to stillborn twins after developing preeclampsia, ProPublica first reported last year.
The doctor said her pregnancy was fine, as did other providers she encountered at prenatal appointments and emergency rooms.
Her teenage son found her dead in December 2024 on his birthday. She died from hypertensive cardiovascular disease and preeclampsia at 37 when she was 20 weeks pregnant, according to court documents.
The Texas attorney general’s office could not be reached for comment late Wednesday.
“Tierra Walker is dead and those responsible must be held accountable. At every turn, Texas’s political and medical establishments not only failed but actively harmed Ms. Walker,” the complaint states. “During the four months of her pregnancy, as she suffered through seizures, blood clots, and one hypertensive crisis after another, Ms. Walker repeatedly asked for an abortion to save her life.”
A San Antonio personal injury firm and Amplify Legal, the litigation arm of the Abortion in America nonprofit, are representing Walker’s family.
They accused the defendants of violating Tierra’s right to life as protected by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Texas Constitution, among other claims. The plaintiffs also allege that the state’s abortion bans are unconstitutional.
THE POD
Next on our Stories From The States podcast: ICE is using migrant kids as ‘bait,’ a Texas lawyer says
Attorney Alexa Sendukas represents many unaccompanied children in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and tries to reunite them with relatives in the United States. She says she has started to see a startling tactic: Federal agencies are using the children to trap and detain the adults who come to detention centers to pick the kids up. It’s left many families scrambling and trying to figure out when they’ll see each other again.
THE BEAT
FDA acknowledges estrogen patch shortage, says it’s working to increase supply
Women take photos at a Women’s History Month event in the East Room of the White House in March 2025. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this month acknowledged a nationwide shortage of estrogen-based hormonal patches, which are prescribed for women experiencing symptoms related to menopause. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it’s helping manufacturers increase the supply of estrogen-based hormonal patches and acknowledged a current nationwide shortage as more women seek hormonal therapies for symptoms related to menopause.
In a release earlier this month, the FDA said it is expediting actions to increase supply, and said all six manufacturers are working to expand capacity and prioritize production of the patches.
“The FDA views increased interest in menopause treatment as an important development for women’s health and is working closely with manufacturers to help ensure that the supply of estradiol patches keeps pace with demand,” the release said.
Menopause typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, according to the National Institute on Aging, when a woman stops having menstrual periods. That hormonal change can cause symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, bone density loss, insomnia and more. Estradiol transdermal patches worn on the skin can replace estrogen lost through menopause and reduce those symptoms for some women.
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THE PULSE
OK: Mothers, reproductive rights group sue Oklahoma officials over abortion ban | Oklahoma Voice
MI: GOP nominee for Michigan lieutenant governor floats constitutional convention to consider abortion ban | Michigan Advance
RI: Rhode Island Republican AG nominee proposes criminal charges against men for unwanted pregnancies | Rhode Island Current
HI: Use of abortion pills has tripled in Hawaii over past decade | Honolulu Civil Beat
ABORTION ACCESS IN THE U.S.
Track state-level developments on reproductive rights anytime at News From The States. Send tips and thoughts to ✉️ [email protected], and follow her on Bluesky @elishabrown.
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