The family of a Texas woman who died during pregnancy has filed the first lawsuit tied to a death linked directly to the state’s abortion ban, naming Attorney General Ken Paxton among the defendants, reported The Washington Sun.
Tierra Walker, 37, died in 2024 at 20 weeks pregnant after repeatedly asking doctors to end her pregnancy as preeclampsia rapidly deteriorated her health, according to the lawsuit filed in Bexar County.
“For months, Ms. Walker had been asking for termination of her pregnancy — even though this was a wanted pregnancy — because she did not think she would survive the pregnancy,” the lawsuit states. “Tragically, she was right. An abortion at any point during her pregnancy would have saved her life.”
The suit accuses Paxton of fostering a culture of fear among Texas medical providers, one that pushed doctors away from performing abortions even in genuine medical emergencies where the procedure is widely considered necessary care. Paxton, currently running for U.S. Senate against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, has built much of his tenure around aggressive anti-abortion enforcement, including suing over abortion pills and defending the state’s ban in court.
Beyond Paxton, the lawsuit also targets the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and several of its staff, alleging they failed to properly screen or treat Walker despite recognizing the danger she was in.
“They continued to do nothing even as University Health staff noted that she was ‘at high risk of clinical deterioration and/or death’ and her pregnancy was a ‘barrier’ to her care,” the lawsuit states.
A medical examiner determined Walker died from hypertensive cardiovascular disease compounded by preeclampsia, a condition whose standard treatment is immediate delivery, which the lawsuit notes is legally classified as an abortion in Texas before full term. The state passed a law in 2025, a year after Walker’s death, attempting to clarify when abortions are permitted, though it didn’t meaningfully expand access.
Attorneys for the family painted a picture of a woman who wore many hats — a decorated educator, a working dental assistant, and a paralegal — while also serving as primary caregiver to her mother, who has a disability, and raising a teenage son alongside her husband. “Ms. Walker was a smart, passionate, ambitious human being,” the filing stated.
Recent polls show Paxton trailing Talarico, prompting a break-glass rush for outside Republican groups to inject money into the race to keep Texas in GOP hands.
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