Dear Delegate,
As a delegate in the 2020 Republican State Convention, you have the right to vote on the Permanent Platform & Resolutions and on the Permanent Rules Committee Reports, which you can do in an email you have received from the State Party.
We have suggestions for how you should vote.
Report of the Platform & Resolutions Committee
You will vote on more than 300 resolutions under several categories. Several involve the Life issue. Here are our recommendations:
Criminal and Civil Justice
Abortion Homicide Exemption – Vote “Do Not Include”
The intent of this resolution – to completely and immediately protect unborn babies from abortion at the state level – is meritorious. However, at the present time and for the foreseeable future, federal courts will not allow a law that bans abortion prior to viability to go into effect, acting under the terrible Roe v. Wade Texas Alliance for Lifeprecedent. The result will be that the law will be blocked by federal courts, and Texas will be forced to pay thousands of dollars in attorneys’ fees to the abortion industry.
Health and Human Services
Conscience Clause – Vote “Include”
This would give physicians, nurses, and other medical providers to the right to object to participating in medical practices that conflict with their “moral or religious beliefs,” including abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, harmful futile procedures, and the withdrawal of nutrition and hydration. The government and the risk of lawsuits should not force a medical provider to administer drugs and procedures that violation the provider’s conscience.
Alternatives to Abortion – Vote “Include”
Promotes education regarding alternatives to abortion, including adoption. Texas has hundreds of pro-life pregnancy centers, maternity homes, and adoption agencies that provide compassionate alternatives to abortion to tens of thousands of women each year. Nevertheless, research shows that relatively few women faced with an unplanned pregnancy even know that these agencies exist.
Discriminatory Abortion – Vote “Do Not Include”
The intent of this resolution – to immediately ban abortion in cases of disability or for race or gender – is meritorious. However, at the present time and for the foreseeable future, federal courts acting under the terrible Roe v. Wade precedent, will not allow a law that bans abortion prior to viability to go into effect. No lives will be saved. The Supreme Court recently let a similar law in Indiana remain blocked by a lower court. The result will be that this law will be blocked by federal courts, and the state will be forced to pay thousands of dollars in attorneys’ fees to the abortion industry.
Planned Parenthood – Vote “Include”
Supports defunding Planned Parenthood and preventing their presence in schools, universities, and communities.
Human Embryos – Vote “Include”
Supports adoption of human embryos, a life-affirming alternative to discarding frozen embryos.
End-of-Life Patient Protection – Vote “Do Not Include”
While some of the this resolution is meritorious, such as opposing discriminatory rationing, the main thrust is to empower families to demand and receive futile and painful medical interventions indefinitely for terminally ill patients that only prolongs the dying process with no proportionate benefit. The government and threats of lawsuits should not force physicians to harm their terminally ill patients in this manner.
Repeal and Replace Ten-Day Rule – Vote “Do Not Include”
In the Texas Advance Directives Act, Texas law has more “due process” protection provisions for terminally ill patients than any other state law of its kind. This highly successful law was unanimously passed by the Texas Legislature 21 years ago. The law includes 12 protective provisions, including a requirement for the hospital to attempt to transfer a patient to another facility for at least 10 days while providing life sustaining interventions. This resolution calls for repealing that law so that when a transfer cannot be found, futile and painful medical interventions must be provided for terminally ill patients indefinitely, interventions that only prolong the dying process with no proportionate benefit. State law and the threat of lawsuits should not require physicians to harm their patients in this manner.
State Affairs
Pro-Life – Vote “Do Not Include”
The goals of this plank are meritorious, but it is not well thought out and would be counterproductive. Several of the provisions have already been accomplished years ago by the Legislature (d, h). Other provisions (a, e, f) would not survive a federal court challenge at the present time and for the foreseeable future. The federal courts, acting under the terrible Roe v. Wade precedent, will not allow a law that bans abortion prior to viability to go into effect. No lives will be saved. The result will be that the law will be blocked by federal courts, and the State will be forced to pay thousands of dollars in attorneys’ fees to the abortion industry.
Abolish Abortion – Vote “Do Not Include”
The intent of this resolution – to completely and immediately protect unborn babies from abortion at the state level – is meritorious. However, at the present time and for the foreseeable future, federal courts will not allow a law that bans abortion prior to viability to go into effect. Total abortion bans have been blocked may times in federal courts. The federal courts, acting under the terrible Roe v. Wade precedent, do not allow a law that bans abortion prior to viability to go into effect. No lives have been saved. The result will be that this law will be blocked by federal courts, and Texas will be forced to pay thousands of dollars in attorneys fee to the abortion industry.
Dismemberment Abortion – Vote “Do Not Include”
The Texas Legislature has passed this law in 2017, and a federal court has blocked it. Federal courts have blocked similar laws in other states because the Supreme Court does not allow states to ban abortion prior to viability. The federal courts, acting under the terrible Roe v. Wade precedent, do not allow a law that bans abortion prior to viability to go into effect. No lives have been saved. The result has be that the federal courts have forced those states that have passed such laws to pay thousands of dollars in attorneys’ fees to the abortion industry.
Fundamental Right to Life – Vote “Include”
This states the goal of the pro-life movement very well. Society has the responsibility and should have the right to protect unborn children from abortion – from the moment of fertilization to birth – regardless of race, gender, and disability. Likewise, people with disabilities and older people should have the right to life until natural death.
Reverse Roe v. Wade – Vote “Include”
This resolution states a critically important goal of the pro-life movement. Roe v. Wade must be overturned so that more legal protections for unborn children can advance in the state legislatures and in Congress. Experts say there are sixty cases in the federal court pipeline that the Supreme Court could use to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Report of the Convention Permanent Rules Committee
We urge you to vote FOR Rule No. 44 – Censure Process and Penalties (Original Permanent Committee Language)
The strong majority of the Permanent Rules Committee members and vote FOR Rule 44, the Original Committee Language and OPPOSE the minority report. The original committee language was approved by the vast majority of the 32 members of the Committee when they met last July during the Convention.
The Rule 44 Minority Report, signed by only seven of the 32 members of the committee, takes the power away from grass roots Republican Primary voters to decide who represents the Republican Party in the General Election. It puts power in the hands of a small body of party officials, the State Republican Executive Committee. The Minority Report gives that 64-member committee of insiders the power to work to defeat their re-election by spending precious party funds to DEFEAT those officials at the polls.
This power can be used to harm, not help, pro-life elected officials.
Here is a short video that explains the issue in more detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AomnyDYy3Xo