Dr. Austin Dennard, from Dallas, has suffered both personal and professional ramifications from Texas abortion laws. A 6th generation Texan, Austin is the mother of three healthy children, but her journey to motherhood has not been straightforward as she has suffered three pregnancy losses – one miscarriage and two terminations following different fatal fetal diagnoses. In 2019, Austin and her husband, Linden, also an OB-GYN, were thrilled when they found out about their first pregnancy. However, the couple received devastating news that the fetus had a rare genetic disorder that made the pregnancy very high risk. As there was no state abortion ban in effect at that time, Austin was able to have open dialogue with her OB-GYN who concluded that termination care was necessary and arranged such treatment to occur close to Austin’s Dallas residence. After having two healthy children, Austin and Linden found themselves facing another fatal fetal diagnosis in the summer of 2022, but this time, due to state laws, the process was much more painful. The couple’s baby was diagnosed with anencephaly, a fatal condition where the brain and skull do not fully develop. Austin understood as an OB-GYN that continuing a pregnancy with anencephaly heightened her risk of severe preeclampsia, hemorrhage, and hysterectomy, putting her future health and fertility in jeopardy. Unlike her previous termination, Austin’s doctor could not discuss her care options, and the couple was forced to coordinate termination care outside Texas. Despite receiving the diagnosis early at 11 weeks and her medical expertise, Austin found traveling out of state with the fear of her family members being charged with aiding and abetting to be very traumatic.
As an OB-GYN, Austin has seen first hand how Texas laws have eroded doctor-patient relationships. Pregnancy loss, crushing diagnoses, and infertility have always been sad moments shared between doctors and their patients. However, with the state abortion ban, these moments have become far more painful as OB-GYNs fear severe penalties for practicing evidence-based care and patients feel isolated making challenging medical decisions without their physician’s advice.
Austin was one of the plaintiffs in Zurawski v. State of Texas, a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Texas abortion laws. Austin was pregnant during her testimony and later gave birth to a beautiful boy, her third child, while the trial was still ongoing. Austin described the negative implications she experienced as a woman with pregnancy complications and a Texas OB-GYN during a January 2024 US Senate briefing. Read Austin’s statement here.