Austin couple visit State of the Union as guests of President Biden

Austin, Texas – An Austin couple attends the State of the Union Tuesday night as guests of President Biden.

Last October, People magazine first reported that the Texas abortion law was partially responsible for the near-murder of an Austin woman.

Amanda Zaragoza fell ill with sepsis after doctors were afraid to remove her dead fetus. She and her husband Josh will be on the balcony during State of the Union.

The White House reports that she continues to suffer from illnesses due to delays in treatment.

Democratic analyst Ed Espinoza and Republican political strategist Ashley Brasher joined FOX 7 Austin’s Rebecca Thomas for the discussion.

REBECCA THOMAS: Ashley. Regardless of which side of the aisle you sit on, this matter is very important. Should Texas legislators add some common-sense medical provisions while still enforcing state abortion law?

Ashley Brasher: You know, Catholic hospitals used these rules while I was alive, including in blue states like Illinois where I grew up. I don’t think the Texas abortion ban has anything to do with it. There are indeed several separate questions here.

REBECCA THOMAS: Ed, how do you feel about this? The president likely wants this Austin couple to personify the deterrent effect of the Texas abortion law when it comes to real-life medical emergencies. Will it resonate with those who are against abortion?

ED ESPINOSA: Well, I don’t know if that would resonate with that, because it’s a very small minority in this state, no matter what we see from the legislature. But the truth is, the law in Texas absolutely took its toll on this couple. That’s why hospitals operate in fear when it comes to medically necessary care, because they don’t know what the legal obligations that come after them will ultimately look like. After all, they only know that these legal obligations now exist because of the legislature. Now, it might have existed in Catholic hospitals in the past, might have been able to handle it, but it wasn’t a collection of hospitals in a state like Texas. Patients had other options. In Texas. They don’t have any other options. This is a critical public health problem and urgently needs to be addressed.

REBECCA THOMAS: Ashley focused now on the state of our union, how do you think it was under President Biden?

Ashley Brasher: I think we all feel like our vote can actually do or not do at the moment. Inflation is at an all-time high, and over the past four decades, the feds have raised rates eight times in the last year. This is absolutely insane. I mean, pay 10 dollars for a box of eggs. I think we are all miserable under Biden. And I think the left needs to understand that things have to change. We have problems at the border. We’re having communication problems across the aisle. Honestly, Biden just has communication problems, period. I don’t know if you’ve heard any of his interviews or speeches lately, but they’re practically incoherent. We need leadership, and with it we will never have it.

REBECCA THOMAS: Ed, same question. How do you think President Biden is doing and should he change people’s minds about certain aspects of his work?

ED ESPINOSA: First, it is difficult to talk about the consistency of the presidency after four years of Trump’s rule. But let’s move on to Biden. Look, the most important issue that people will pay attention to is the economy. This is what they feel the most. There are many other issues that could affect this right to vote, the right to abortion, climate change, which we are now feeling very strongly here in Austin. But the economy is what they’re going to feel now, inflation. This is a problem that needs to be solved. Need to tackle the housing market in Austin and elsewhere. The fact is that we need more housing in this country, and this is a priority. But job growth under Biden, we had a record month in January with about 315,000 new jobs created. Unemployment is now at about a three-year low, up three and a half percent when it comes to unemployment and job growth. Biden is doing well right now. And that’s something I think Americans should really be proud of. Does he have a job? Absolutely. Has he achieved much? Absolutely.

REBECCA THOMAS: We are out of time. But Ed Ashley, thank you both for sharing your time and views with us tonight.