Out of the more than 6,000 bills that have been filed in the Texas Legislature this session, we can expect only a few hundred to be passed and out of that few hundred, only a handful of them will be pro-life bills.

During the last session (2005) we passed exactly one pro-life bill for Parental Consent, and that at the very last minute against tremendous opposition.

For whatever reason, the Texas Legislature only meets every other year on the odd numbered years for 140 days and, although there may be benefits to a rarely-in-session legislature, from our end it never really seems to work out.

With all of that in mind, below are three pro-life bills that have been introduced in the Texas Legislature and have a reasonably good chance of passing, IF, we the citizens of this great state actually take into account our obligation to be politically active and do something about it, like call our State Senators and Representatives and ask them to support these bills.

(HB 225) Funding Ban on Embryonic Stem Cell Research - This is an absolute no-brainer bill. It would cut off funding to unethical and unproductive experimentation on embryonic stem cells.
There are no clinical benefits to embryonic stem cell research. The FDA has approved no uses in humans since it has proven to be clinically problematic in animal studies. There are better ways for us to be spending this money.

(HB 175 / SB 186) The Trigger Ban - This is a great law and 4 other states have already done it. This would effectively ban all abortions in the state of Texas (with the exception of the imminent death of the mother) if the US Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade or otherwise decides that the states have the right to regulate abortion.

If passed, although it would not have an immediate effect, it would tell the world that Texas is a pro-life state and that we are opposed to the legal reasoning imposed on us by the Roe decision and that the people do not want it.

(HB 21) Relating to Informed Consent to an Abortion - This bill would close the loophole in the current Women's Right to Know Act that allows abortionists to not give the women entering an abortion mill information that the State of Texas has deemed they should have.

The crux of the bill is that women who enter an abortion mill should be getting this booklet, which contains great information about abortion procedures, the risks of abortion, fetal development and other information. We know that when women have this kind of information (information that the other side fights tooth and nail to not give them) and can make a fully informed choice, the numbers show they decide to not have the abortion.

Abortionists have found loopholes around giving women this book by having them either listen to a pre-recorded message about it or encouraging them to not take it because it is "not well written" or "contains bad information." When was the last time you went to a doctor for a medical procedure and had to listen to a pre-recorded message about the procedure?

This bill would simply mandate that the book be physically handed to the women as she enters the abortion mill. Very simple and yet, pro-abortionists are bitterly opposed to it.

Visit the Texas Legislature Online or our web site for detailed information and the status of each bill. You can also find out who your state Representative is and how to get ahold of them.

Labels: Texas Legislature