Tierra Walker Didn’t Have to Die
ProPublica reports that Texas' abortion ban has killed another woman
I woke up to the news today that Texas’ abortion ban has killed yet another woman: Tierra Walker, whose 14-year-old son shouted, “I need you!” as he performed CPR in a vain attempt to save her life. ProPublica reports that JJ spends every day scrolling through old videos so he can hear his mother’s voice again.
Does that sound ‘pro-life’ to you? Does it sound pro-family?
Walker died of preeclampsia—her death was completely preventable. The 37-year-old mother was suffering from frequent seizures, blood clots, and diabetes. Yet not one of the 90 doctors involved in her care mentioned abortion.
Walker wanted to end her pregnancy. She asked about abortion multiple times, only to be put off by doctors afraid of “aiding and abetting.” Walker even considered ordering abortion pills online, but decided against it because she was afraid of going to jail—reminding us that it’s not just bans killing women, but the chilling effect of Republican extremism. Whether it’s pushing bills to punish patients, calling telehealth abortion ‘drug trafficking,’ or passing laws that invite life-ruining lawsuits, the GOP wants women too afraid to seek care—and the people who love them too afraid to help.
If women die as a result? Well, it’s a price they’re willing to pay. After all, maternal mortality has skyrocketed in anti-abortion states—especially for Black women like Walker. In Texas, maternal deaths have risen by 56% since the state banned abortion.
Republicans are working overtime to hide those numbers: disbanding maternal death committees, stacking them with anti-choice activists, and changing how deaths are counted and classified—all in an attempt to obscure the connection to abortion bans.
They don’t want voters to know that their policies are killing and seriously harming women.
That’s why anti-abortion lawmakers and activists are fine-tuning their talking points as more of these stories emerge. And I can tell you exactly how they’ll respond to the news of Walker’s death:
They’ll claim doctors were legally allowed to ‘intervene’ or ‘treat’ Walker with ‘care.’ They’ll use those words specifically—avoiding saying she could have had an abortion—because they don’t believe in life-saving abortions.
They’ll say it was abortion rights activists who killed Walker, insisting that we’ve scared doctors out of providing life-saving care. This is one of their favorite talking points, and one conservatives started floating immediately after Roe fell.
And they might even imply that Walker herself is to blame: they’ll say she had underlying health problems. I’ve even seen anti-abortion groups victim-blame Black women for maternal deaths by claiming they’re more likely to be ‘obese.’
When anti-abortion groups inevitably put out a press release or tweet hitting one or all of these talking points, let it be a reminder: they planned for this. They knew women would die, and they planned for it—they polled it, workshopped the messaging, and held strategy meetings. Remember that every time you see one of those talking points, and make sure other people know, too.
I’ll be honest, I’ve felt sick to my stomach ever since I learned about Walker. Reading these stories is never easy, but this one hit me harder than usual. Maybe it’s because her son, JJ, is just a year younger than my daughter, Layla. Maybe it’s because I also had preeclampsia.
I remember how painful, terrifying, and confusing it was. There was no question that my pregnancy had to end to save my life; I just happened to be far enough along that Layla could be delivered. But in the middle of that nightmare, I never once worried that doctors wouldn’t treat me or give me the standard of care. Not for a minute.
We’ll have more on Walker, and Republicans’ response to her death, soon. In the meantime, remember that we’re only hearing a fraction of the stories that are really out there. And as much as I hate that families have to share their worst moments to get politicians to care (and Americans to pay attention), I’m so grateful to ProPublica for exposing the brutal reality of these bans.
Texas loves their #1 status in killing pregnant women.
I am so angry and sad. Too choked up to speak. Every story is worse than the last.
I live in Houston Texas and nobody here except for propublica and AED is covering the deaths and the appalling rise in complications and sepsis. Seems like everyone around here is just carrying on, not thinking about it, assuming it’s not so bad, consumed with other distractions… I’m ridiculously upset and I’m not even in the population in danger— I’m 45, not trying, plenty of resources to get wherever if I needed to. But I don’t get why this isn’t the #1 topic of conversation and coverage in Texas— especially for women in childbearing years. It makes me feel very alone that it’s not. Anyway, Jessica and AED, thanks for being here.