Life Begins at Conception Act – HB 1218
by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione
Goal: Texas Alliance for Life supports amending Chapter 28, Education Code, to require that all human sexuality education course materials and instructions used in public schools teach that life begins at conception.
Background:
In 2003, the Texas Legislature passed the Woman’s Right to Know Act, which, among other provisions, requires physicians to provide a pregnant woman with state-prepared materials 24 hours before an abortion.
These materials, prepared by the Department of State Health Services, state that “[a]t fertilization (when the male sperm enters the female egg), the unborn child has his or her own unique set of DNA material — or genes — half from the mother and half from the father. The DNA is the blueprint for growth and development of all cells throughout life. DNA determines all of the baby’s physical characteristics such as gender; the shape of the nose and ears; and the color of the hair, eyes, and skin.”
Also in 2003, the Texas Legislature passed the Prenatal Protection Act that modified the definition of “individual” person to include “an unborn child at every stage of gestation from fertilization until birth.” See Sec. 1.07(a)(26), Penal Code, and Sec. 71.001(4), Civil Practices and Remedies Code.
Public Policy:
Texas should require any human sexuality education programs to include in its materials and instruction that from the moment of fertilization, an embryo is a life.
This information is sound science and good public policy.