New York Gov. Kathy Hochul slams ‘appalling’ Texas abortion ban, criticizes Greg Abbott | The Houston Chronicle

Visit Website

By: Edward McKinley

Joe Pojman, executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life, said an important change that’s not getting enough attention is the increased funding that the Texas Legislature provided for expecting mothers in the last session, setting aside $100 million over the next two years to promote alternatives to abortion.

“Women dont need to go out of state to seek abortions. Texas has the resources to help them successfully give birth to the child, and keep the child if she wishes or place the child for adoption,” he said. “That is the goal of the state programs, and it’s also the goal of hundreds of nonprofit organizations.”

DIY abortion attempts three times as prevalent in Texas as other states, study finds | Houston Chronicle

Visit Website
PDF File

By: Andrea Zelinski

The data is too old to offer a sense of how accessible abortions are, said Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life. Five abortion clinics and more than 100 centers offering alternatives to abortion have opened since researchers conducted its last interviews and surveys, he said.

“I believe there are grave reasons to question the relevance of the data that the author is putting forward because it’s quite old and things have changed he Texas,” said Pojman.

Unconstitutional anti-abortion law costs Texas another $2.5 million | The Houston Chronicle

Visit Website
PDF File

By: Andrea Zelinski

Not only did the court battle cost the state millions of dollars, but it also set back the anti-abortion movement by making it harder for states to pass certain regulations for abortion facilities without running afoul of the high court’s decision, said Joe Pojman, executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life which advocates for stiffer abortion regulations.

Anti-abortion advocates had miscalculated the leanings of the Supreme Court, he said. Since then, he said his group has resisted the urge to support far-reaching anti-abortion proposals in the Legislature in favor of others they believe would survive a federal court challenge.

Pojman said anti-abortion advocates need to think long-term if they want to overturn Roe v. Wade, which established legal precedent protecting a woman’s right to an abortion. The long-time activist said he is not confident the makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court is favorable to overturning Roe v. Wade — but it could be in a few years.

“We are telling our people that they need to stay focused on re-electing President Donald Trump because he has a track record of nominating justices who are possibly willing to take an honest look at Roe v. Wade,” said Pojman.

Abortion rights groups make their case against Texas restrictions in federal court | Houston Chronicle

Visit Website

By: Paul Cobler

On the other side of the debate, Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, also said he doesn’t expect any Supreme Court reversals in the near future.

“Unfortunately, the case law is currently very bad and the precedent is very bad against the Texas Legislature for doing what we think is just a matter of justice,” Pojman said. “I’m very cautious, and I’m not foreseeing any earthquakes any time soon.”

Fetal burial trial marks a new chapter in Texas abortion debate | Houston Chronicle

Visit Website

By: Andrea Zelinski

This battle of burial is different from many past abortion fights because it focuses debate on the dignity of the fetus instead of the health regulations of abortion clinics. State officials say their goals are to keep fetal and embryonic remains out of sanitary landfills where other medical tissue is disposed of, and banning an outdated procedure of grinding and flushing the remains into a sanitary sewer.

“This is not going to make abortion unavailable. Abortion is readily available in Texas, that will continue,” said Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life. “This is merely about assuring that the remains of babies who die from miscarriage and abortion are handled in a dignified manner.”

The law is easy for abortion clinics and hospitals to comply with, he said. To help defray the costs, the state built a registry of participating funeral homes and cemeteries willing to provide free or low-cost burials. Private nonprofit groups, too, can sign up on the registry to signal their willingness to help pay other related costs.

Trump’s anticipated abortion rule could reduce access in Texas | Houston Chronicle

Visit Website

By: Andrea Zelinski

Should the rule go into place, it would force facilities like Planned Parenthood to either abandon providing abortions to continue receiving Title X federal funds or lose the funding. It would likely also spur a legal challenge.

“We would hope that they would chose to provide health services for women and get out of the abortion industry. We don’t think they’re going to do that,” said Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, an anti-abortion group active in Texas politics.