Protect unborn children and promote a culture of life
Protecting Texans means protecting the most vulnerable--the unborn. I welcome any legislation that protects unborn children and promotes a culture of life in Texas.
I thank the bishops of Texas for showing respect for the unborn by offering to bury
fetal remains at no cost. It demonstrates the dignity and reverence that every child's life deserves. That is why I support legislation to codify this dignity for every child in the future.
Every child--born and unborn--deserves dignity.
The butchering of unborn babies for trade in the open market is barbaric. I want legislation on my desk that criminalizes the sale or donation of baby body parts.
We must also do more to help the children that mothers bring into this world.
That's why I'm committed to advancing adoption services and developing programs to support mothers who embrace the blessing of a child's life.
Favors restrictions of judicial bypass for minor's abortion
House Bill 3994 amends the statutory provisions governing judicial bypass, the process by which a judge may grant a pregnant minor who wishes to have an abortion an exemption from requirements that a parent be notified and consent to the procedure.
The bill's language says that, "A physician shall presume that a pregnant woman is a minor unless the woman presents a valid government record of identification showing that she has reached the age of maturity," essentially creating the same
ID requirements that Texas's controversial voter ID law holds for those seeking abortions. That's a significant issue for undocumented Texans seeking abortions.
Legislative outcome:
Passed Senate 21-10-0 on May/26/15; passed House 102-43-2 on May/29/15; signed by Governor Greg Abbott Jun/19/15.
Abortions unnecessary except for woman's life or health
Attorney General Ken Paxton said that all clinics in the state must stop providing abortions unless a woman's life or health are in danger. He said abortion providers were included under Abbott's emergency order that banned medically unnecessary
surgeries to conserve medical supplies. Abortion rights advocates called the ban bad policy and accused Paxton and Abbott of using the crisis to issue a de facto ban on a procedure strongly opposed by the two Republican leaders.
Source: USA Today on 2022 Texas gubernatorial race
, Mar 25, 2020
Ensure every child is spared from ravages of abortion
Estimates show more than 40 million babies lost their lives to abortion in 2020. That's shocking. It's horrifying. It must end. I have signed eleven laws that protect innocent lives, but more must be done. This session, we need a law that ensures
that the life of every child will be spared from the ravages of abortion. We should also make explicit what should be obvious: no unborn child should be targeted for abortion on the basis on race, sex, or disability.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Texas legislature
, Feb 2, 2021
Bans mail-order abortion drugs
Abbott signed Senate Bill 4 into law, which bans mail-order abortion drugs and prevents physicians from providing abortion drugs to women who are more than seven weeks pregnant.
"Texas continues to lead the way in protecting
unborn children and fostering a culture of life, which is why I am proud to join Texas Values, members of the legislature, and pro-life leaders to sign Senate Bill 4 into law," Abbott said.
No abortions for rape, claims he'll "eliminate all rapists"
Abbott was asked about a new abortion law in the state that bans the procedure even for cases of rape or incest. "Let's make something very clear: Rape is a crime,"
Abbott said. "And Texas will work tirelessly to make sure that we eliminate all rapists from the streets of Texas by aggressively going out and arresting them and prosecuting them and getting them off the streets."
Q: [On the Texas anti-abortion bill allowing citizen lawsuits]: Are you saying that you will not sign an exception for rape and incest?
ABBOTT: I've got to tell you, you're making a hypothetical that is not going to happen
because that bill is not going to reach my desk. But, second, again, the goal is to protect the life of every child with a heartbeat.
Signed abortion ban; no exception for rape or incest
Opposition Summary by ACLU (8/29/22): In Texas, a pair of laws together ban abortion at all stages of pregnancy, without exceptions for rape or incest, and with narrow exemptions for the life and health of pregnant people: SB 8 outlaws
abortion around six weeks of gestation. HB 1280 creates harsh criminal penalties for providers and doctors for performing or aiding abortions at all stages of pregnancy.
Support Summary by Texas Alliance for Life (8/23/22): HB 1280
updates and improves upon the pre-Roe abortion laws (first passed in 1854) that the Supreme Court blocked in the terrible Roe v. Wade decision. Additionally, Governor Abbott approved an appropriation of $100 million for the current two-year budget for
the highly successful Alternatives to Abortion program.
Legislative Outcome: Passed House 83-64-1 on May/6/21; passed Senate 18-12-1 on May/13/21; Signed by Governor Greg Abbott on May/19/21