AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas high school student who centered her valedictorian speech around abortion rights spoke at a rally outside the State Capitol on Sunday.
Paxton Smith made headlines when she spoke out against Senate Bill 8, also known as the heartbeat bill, during her speech last weekend.
She joined a group of young Texans rallying against the controversial bill during her appearance on Sunday.
The bill bans any abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected.
That can be as early as six weeks into pregnancy.
"You know, I'm hoping the same things happen with this rally that it did with the speech that women deserve reproductive rights is amplified and that it's brought even further to the public's eye," Smith said.
A battle in the courts is expected to take place before the bill would become law in September - with analysts saying it has a steep hill to climb to survive those court challenges.
