Our bodies are the first site of governance. Throughout history, those in power have consolidated control by deciding who governs whom, who can reproduce and who cannot, who is deemed worthy of care and who is left to die, whose bodies are protected and whose bodies are punished.
What we are witnessing in Texas right at this moment is a desperate, late-stage grasp for complete control. Abortion has always been a testing ground for authoritarian governance. If politicians can dictate what we do with our bodies, they can dictate how we live, whom we love, and whether our voices matter at all. They are showing us that chaos and control are their entire vision for governing.
And they will punish anyone who resists. Yesterday, Representative Nicole Collier, a Black woman, refused to bow to their terms and has been confined to the House floor under law enforcement supervision, unable to leave the Capitol without escort. That is not the behavior of a healthy democracy. That is authoritarianism in plain sight. If they are willing to treat elected officials this way, they will do the same to us.
Just last Friday, the moment House Democrats returned from breaking quorum, the chamber gaveled out of the first special session and immediately into the second. Rules were suspended, debate was cut short, and bills rammed through not to care for Texans, but to further tighten their grip on our healthcare, our bodies, and our democracy.
SB 7 was pushed through taking the Texas abortion bounty out of state and giving fraudulent and indicted AG Ken Paxton unprecedented power to sue even against doctors acting in medical emergencies or providers in other states. A bill so extreme, even the antis testified on the record against it, questioning its purpose.
It is no coincidence that redistricting and more bans on our bodies are at play in these special sessions. Bodily control and voter suppression are two sides of the same coin. When Donald Trump said you wouldn’t have to vote for him again, he was signaling authoritarian rule. That is the logic of redistricting: lock in power, silence voters, and shield politicians so they can control our bodies and democracy. That’s exactly what Greg Abbott is attempting to do in Texas, too.
This is not a fight between left and right. It is the powerful at the top versus everyday Texans simply trying to live with dignity. And, in plain sight, the powerful are discarding any remaining democratic norms as a final grasp at power.
As Texas goes, so goes the nation. Texas has long been the testing ground for punitive policies exported nationwide, from voter ID restrictions to extreme abortion bans. If politicians succeed in locking down power here, they will use the same tools everywhere.
What extremists lawmakers fear most is the way Texans continue to care for each other against all odds as we fight back. This resilience and our refusal to abandon one another is what most threatens those in power, it’s why they are escalating their attacks. We will not stand by. We will not be silenced. We will not be controlled. The fight is here and we will meet it head-on.