Published

July 20, 2017

Contact:  Melissa Duncan 512-477-1244

 

AUSTIN – Today Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a lawsuit in federal district court to challenge the dismemberment ban in SB 8, passed by the Texas Legislature during the regular session that ended in May. The law is set to go into effect on September 1, 2017.

“The lawsuit filed today is another attempt by Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive Rights to overturn Texas law protecting mothers and their unborn babies. This time they aim specifically at the dismemberment abortion ban—defending the barbaric abortion method of dismembering a live child limb from limb,” said TAL Executive Director, Joe Pojman, Ph.D. “This legal challenge was not a surprise…we discussed concerns with legislative leaders during the regular session, citing similar challenges in other states regarding this provision of the legislation. We are hopeful the State will prevail on this latest legal challenge and we are committed to helping Texas defend the law.”

Texas Alliance for Life points out that the legislature recently completed another sensational session, passing six pro-life bills, continuing to fund alternatives to abortion, and continuing to defund Planned Parenthood.  Governor Greg Abbott has signed these six bills into law. Regardless of the outcome of the lawsuit, SB 8 (one of the six pro-life bills passed in 85R) will shut down Planned Parenthood’s practice of harvesting and selling baby body parts in Texas.

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