The Fight Is On!
We are six weeks into the 85th Session of the Texas Legislature, and well over a dozen pro-life bills have been filed. Both chambers have now issued committee assignments, meaning the real work begins.
Texans for Life has chosen to focus our energy on passing these priority measures:
Improved Abortion Reporting (Coming Soon)
Forced Abortions & Sex Trafficking (Coming Soon)
Additional Funding for Alternatives to Abortion
With only 140 days every two years to assist in passing life-saving legislation, TLC is forced to limit our priorities. Joining us in prioritizing these bills are the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, The Christian Life Commission and the Christian Life Commission.
First and foremost, we look for measures that will save babies and protect their moms. A bill should be attainable and sustainable. Is it likely that we will be able to inspire support from legislators, and will it be able to withstand the judicial scrutiny that is sure to come? It doesn’t matter how well intentioned a bill is if the courts will strike it down.
When the Supreme Court raised the burden of proof required to regulate abortion clinics in striking down crucial parts of HB 2 last summer, we were reminded just how important it is to pass legislation that has the best chance of being upheld by the courts. We are still waiting to see just how many MILLIONS of our tax dollars the courts will award the Center for Reproductive Rights for their work dismantling HB 2—all money that will be used against us in the future.
Bills with the potential to engage or educate the public in a meaningful way, pave the way for future victories, address a specific horror, and truly protect women are all important to us.
After seeing the Planned Parenthood videos and hearing from past
employees of Dr. Douglas Karpen, we understand that a state ban on partial birth abortion is needed so that Texans can enforce it. We also know that banning research on fetal tissue from elective abortions is the only way to stop the grisly trade of selling baby body parts. We know that those tiny victims deserve better than the garbage disposal or the landfill as a resting place. We know that if we don’t rein in wrongful birth lawsuits, more doctors will encourage their patients to abort. We know that forced abortion is an integral part of the sex trafficking industry. We also know that abortion doctors have been skirting reporting laws and skewing maternal health data by routing injured women to the hospital where abortion complications are reported as maternal health complications.
These are the realities we are fighting against this session. Even though pro-lifers dominate both chambers, abortion advocates will put up a fight—both behind the scenes and publicly. We need your help to get these bills across the finish line.
Contact your state representative and senator to urge them to support and coauthor these essential bills. Then call our office to learn about additional ways to help fight for babies and their moms this legislative session!
