The overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 was a landmark Supreme Court decision, and the catalyst for a number of increasingly extreme laws undermining body autonomy. Now, the state of reproductive freedom is more uncertain than ever. What once seemed to be fringe beliefs about reproductive rights have reemerged in the mainstream, making their way into state and federal law.
For example, on Feb. 16, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children, and unused eggs are protected under the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. In the same week, former President Trump announced his support of the 16-week abortion ban. And finally, in Texas, the Supreme Court ruled against Kate Cox, a pregnant woman who pleaded for an emergency abortion to mitigate severe health risks.
The decision in Texas was met with shock from pro-choice activists, including Gina Ortiz Jones, who decided that enough was enough. In response, Jones, a former Iraq War Veteran and intelligence officer, founded the Find Out PAC. Her committee’s mission is to vote out current Texas Supreme Court Justices Jimmy Blacklock, John Devine, and Jane Bland — three Justices on the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court who have a rich history of staunch anti-choice sentiments. “Find Out PAC is based on the very scientific concept of eff around and find out,” Jones tells Her Campus. “We are done with the niceties. We are done with saying things in a way that is going to be most comfortable for folks.”
Reproductive freedom, and abortion rights, are the number one issue in the country right now. Texas is the epicenter for it. And so, we absolutely have to strike while the iron is hot. We’ve got to flip these seats.”
Jones started her career in the U.S. Air Force as an intelligence officer and is an Iraq War veteran. She went on to serve in the Intelligence Community and most recently served as the Under Secretary of the Air Force in the Biden administration. Additionally, Jones was the first woman of color and the first out lesbian to serve as the under-secretary of any military department. She earned graduate degrees from Boston University, the University of Kansas, and the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies. Her extensive education and career highlights have led her to a career in fighting for choice in 2024. “Reproductive freedom, and abortion rights, are the number one issue in the country right now,” says Jones. “Texas is the epicenter for it. And so, we absolutely have to strike while the iron is hot. We’ve got to flip these seats.”
Justice Jimmy Blacklock, former general counsel for Texas Governor Greg Abbott, has been clear about his anti-abortion beliefs. At a Right To Life rally in 2018, Abbott reassured patrons of the event that they would not have to worry about Blacklock given his conservative record. For Justices Devine and Bland, their track record is even more grim. Justice John Devine brags about his countless arrests from protesting outside of abortion clinics. And, Justice Jane Bland has written on behalf of anti-abortion groups that they should not be held liable for defamation for equating abortion to murder.
Jones anticipates critics who might argue that the focus should be on lawmakers instead of the Supreme Court to which she responds that “the extreme interpretation of those laws is facilitated by this Supreme Court — that’s why it’s just so important that we unseat these folks,” she says. Therefore, Jones believes it imperative that Supreme Court Justices are held accountable for their actions.
Since starting the initiative in late January 2024, Jones says she has witnessed a massive surge of supporters who are, in Jones’ words, angry and ready to show up to the polls. Jones also says she is encouraged by other states like Kansas, Kentucky, and Ohio who have had impressive numbers of voter turnout on behalf of reproductive rights. “We’re not hopeless. We’re not helpless,” says Jones. “And so all we can do is channel that to voting these three folks out.”
“We are moving forward. We know there’s a lot of folks that if they just hear about the Texas Supreme Court and what they can do to hold these folks accountable for what they’ve done to these other women, that they will show up.”
Statistics are also on the side of the Find Out PAC. In a 2023 survey conducted by the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston, 82% of Texans voted that they were in support of an abortion if the mother’s health was at risk. “The Supreme Court is so out-of-touch with where Texans are,” says Jones. As for the remaining 18%? Jones says she is not worried about them. “There’s not a lot of time to waste on the folks that are going to criticize our approach,” says Jones. “We are moving forward. We know there’s a lot of folks that if they just hear about the Texas Supreme Court and what they can do to hold these folks accountable for what they’ve done to these other women, that they will show up.”
Blacklock, Devine, and Bland are up for reelection in November, and the Find Out PAC’s mission is to vote them out. Jones encourages folks to get involved with Find Out PAC by going to their website, signing up for email updates, and following their social media pages. For folks outside of Texas, look at the ways in which your state’s Supreme Court Justices are voting for or against reproductive freedom. It’s time we show them that if you f*ck around, you’ll find out.