The NAACP is urging athletes to boycott Texas teams due to the state’s restrictive abortion and voting laws.
An open letter from the civil rights organization calls on players to “consider not only their influential platforms as professional athletes, but as parents and role models for our children and those in their personal lives.”
“As we watch an incomprehensible assault on basic human rights unfold in Texas, we are simultaneously witnessing a threat to constitutional guarantees for women, children and marginalized communities,” the letter reads.
“Over the past few months, legislators in Texas have passed archaic policies, disguised as laws, that directly violate privacy rights and a woman’s freedom to choose, restrict access to free and fair elections for Black and brown voters, and increase the risk of contracting coronavirus,” the letter continues. “If you are a woman, avoid Texas. If you are Black, avoid Texas. If you want to lower your chances of dying from coronavirus, avoid Texas.”
The letter is addressed to the NFL Players Association, Women’s National Basketball Player’s Association, National Basketball Players Association, MLB Players Association, and NHL Players’ Association, and is signed by NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson and NAACP Texas President Gary Bledsoe.
“When all else fails, we must look within and answer the call to protect the basic human rights and democratic values which are fundamental to this country,” Johnson said. “Professional athletes serve as some of our country’s greatest role models and we need them to join us to fight for democracy.”
The letter accuses Texas Gov. Greg Abbott of signing “extreme voting laws to severely restrict the right to vote,” as well as “[empowering] vigilantes with the authority of the law to restrict women’s freedom to make choices about their bodies.”
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Abbott signed legislation in September introducing voting restrictions in the state amid GOP calls for tighter election practices following controversy during the 2020 general election. Critics say the law is part of an effort to weaken minority turnout.
Under a Texas law that went into effect last month, abortions are prohibited after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which usually occurs around six weeks. Additionally, under the law, individual citizens would be allowed to file lawsuits against anyone who “aids or abets” the procedure.
Both laws have been challenged in litigation.
