The Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales joined dozens of protesters at the federal courthouse in San Antonio Tuesday night after a leaked draft opinion that indicated the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade.
If Roe v. Wade is overturned, a trigger law in Texas would quickly make it a felony for anyone to perform or help provide an abortion in the state.
Related: After leaked SCOTUS draft, abortion-rights supporters brace for total ban in Texas
Gonzales said he absolutely will not prosecute anyone involved with an abortion in Bexar County. This is in stark contrast to the positions of Attorney General Ken Paxton and Gov. Greg Abbott, but Gonzales said he does not work for them.
“The only boss I have are the citizens of Bexar County. The only boss I have are the people standing here — the voters,” he said. “They make the decision about whether or not I'm doing the right job. I'm not worried about Ken Paxton. I'm not worried about Governor Abbott or anybody else in Austin.”
Protesters in San Antonio join others in cities across Texas to protest the draft opinion that indicates the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v Wade. pic.twitter.com/3M223iRHP1
— Bonnie Petrie TPR (@KBonniePetrie) May 3, 2022
Gonzales said as long as he’s DA, no one involved in what he calls a personal decision about their own bodies will have to worry about being prosecuted for it.
“While I'm in charge, while I'm at the helm, while I'm making prosecutorial decisions, I'm here to tell the entire community of Bexar County that they not they don't need to be worrying about whether or not anybody is going to prosecute them for making a decision about their own bodies,” Gonzales told the crowd of protestors.
