By: Arelis R. Hernández
“Abortion does not involve saving the actual life of a patient or treating a patient with coronavirus,” said Joe Pojman, executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life. “Providers needed to be reminded that they are not above the law . . . and they need to come in line with the crisis that Texas is facing.”
By: Sabrina Tavernise
“The bottom line is, these abortions must be delayed,” said Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, one of the state’s main anti-abortion groups. He said Texas was not “singling out any particular procedure or any segment of the health care industry.”
By: Tessa Weinberg
The anti-abortion group Texas Alliance for Life also tweeted Sunday that the executive order applies to abortions.
Under the executive order meant to increase hospital capacity to combat the novel coronavirus’ spread, physicians will have the discretion to suspend procedures that aren’t immediately medically necessary to correct a serious medical condition or to preserve the life of a patient, Abbott said Sunday.
By: Daniel Friend
Texas Alliance for Life also noted the order on social media, asking anyone aware of violations of the order to send documentation to them.
Following Abbott’s executive order, it remained unclear if abortions would need to be postponed, given the exemption in the order for non-essential procedures provided that they “would not deplete the hospital capacity or the personal protective equipment needed to cope with the COVID-19 disaster.”
By: Leah Hickman
People on both sides of the abortion debate rallied outside the U.S. Supreme Court on the first Wednesday of this month, much as they did on the first Wednesday of March four years ago. Joe Pojman from the Texas Alliance for Life attended both rallies and said they had striking similarities. Both happened on clear mornings the day after Super Tuesday primaries in presidential election years. And both times, the Supreme Court heard lawsuits over whether abortionists must have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.
By: Leah Hickman
Mark Lee Dickson, the director of Right to Life of East Texas, said the rules are “a preventative measure since we don’t want abortion tourism happening in our towns.” Some pro-life leaders see potential problems with the sanctuary city measures. Joe Pojman with Texas Alliance for Life said the ordinances invite pushback from pro-abortion groups and, while Roe v. Wade remains in place, will not stand up to lawsuits like this one from the ACLU. —L.H.