A court in Austin heard testimony this week from women who are suing over Texas’s abortion ban, which put their lives in danger when they were unable to end their pregnancies, even when they were nonviable. In a dramatic moment, plaintiff Samantha Casiano vomited on the stand as she recounted her traumatic experience. Casiano was forced to carry out her pregnancy even after receiving a diagnosis of anencephaly, a severe congenital disorder that results in a baby being born without portions of its brain and skull. Another plaintiff, Elizabeth Weller, spoke at a press conference Wednesday.

Elizabeth Weller: “I was sent home to wait for my baby to die or for my infection to start showing physical symptoms, even though they were already there. But I wasn’t sick enough to get the care that I needed. There is no statement of pro-life in this state when you send me home to wait for my baby to die inside of me and for me to wait for myself to get to a point where I have to gamble my uterus and gamble my life and gamble any future possibility of becoming pregnant. That’s not pro-life. In a sense, it’s almost pro-torture.”

The press conference was held by the Center for Reproductive Rights, which brought the lawsuit on behalf of 13 patients and two doctors.

In related news, new data shows Texas’s abortion ban is likely leading to a surge in infant mortality as women are forced to carry nonviable pregnancies to term. Infant deaths increased by over 11% in 2022 over the previous year. Meanwhile, infant deaths with severe genetic and birth defects rose by over 21% after years of decline.