Amanda Zurawski | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Zurawski in 2024 | |
| Born | 1987 (age 37–38)[1][2] |
| Occupation | high tech[2] |
| Known for | Zurawski v. State of Texas |
Amanda Zurawski (born 1987) is an Americanreproductive rights activist known for her role in suing the state of Texas, inZurawski v. State of Texas, after she suffered life threatening risks during her pregnancy after being denied an abortion.
Amanda Zurawski was denied an abortion when she was 18 weeks pregnant because herfetus had a detectable heartbeat. She subsequently went into septic shock twice and was left with a permanently closed fallopian tube due to scar tissue. Subsequently, she filed a suit against theState of Texas, alongside four other women who joined the suit in March 2023.The New York Times reported that the case was the first time that a pregnant woman took legal action against an abortion ban since the Supreme Court overturnedRoe v. Wade in 2022 in the decision ofDobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.[3]
On 26 April 2023, Zurawski appeared in aUnited States Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing on the impact of the Supreme Court’s reversal ofRoe v. Wade. She addressed her senatorsTed Cruz andJohn Cornyn, saying that her "horrific" experience was due to the policies they supported and that she "nearly died on their watch".[4][5]
Zurawski campaigned heavily for PresidentBiden's re-election and subsequently was a surrogate in thepresidential campaign ofKamala Harris in 2024 as an outspoken supporter to "restoring and protecting reproductive rights in this country".[6] She was featured in a campaign ad focused on abortion access that retold her story and near-death experience.[7]In August 2024, Zurawski appeared along with her husband Josh as a speaker at the2024 Democratic National Convention where she talked about abortion rights remaining a top-of-mind concern for her, along with access to contraception and IVF, which have been targeted by some sectors of the anti-abortion movement. In a statement withThe 19th, Zurawski did not rule out running for public office in 2026.[8][6]
On 4 December 2024, Zurawski appeared alongsideKerry Washington andJennifer Lawrence, one of the producers of the documentary focused on Zurawski's case, at theHollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Gala to present $1 million in college scholarships for high school students from underserved communities in Los Angeles. Zurawski addressed the stage:
The power of your voice and your choices are never small. To the young women here today, especially those of you in the mentorship program: you have the potential to change everything. … You have the power to demand more — for your health, your education, your careers, your futures — and no one should ever take that power away from you.[9]
In November 2024 adocumentary movie about Zurawski and her case titledZurawski v Texas was released in cinemas. The movie features Zurawski and others centered in the case, alongside lead attorney Molly Duane of theCenter for Reproductive Rights and others and was co-directed by Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault.[10][11][12]
In December 2024, Zurawski was named one of BBC's100 Women of 2024.[13]
She was named one ofTime’s Women of the Year for 2025.[14]
Zurawski grew up inIndiana, where she met her now-husband Josh Zurawski when they were young children at Aldersgate Academy preschool. They became a couple in high school. They now live inAustin, Texas, working inhigh tech.[1][2]