By: Ryan Chandler

Texas Alliance for Life pointed to data from Texas Health and Human Services that shows 41 abortions have been performed under the ban’s medical exceptions since the ban went into effect.

“We know that doctors are intervening and they are not being disciplined or prosecuted for that intervention,” Texas Alliance for Life’s Amy O’Donnell said. “There is nothing in law that says a woman’s death has to be imminent that she has to become septic or that her baby’s heart has to stop beating before a doctor can intervene and exercise reasonable medical judgment to save the life of the mother.”

By: Melanie Torre

The Texas Alliance for Life pushed back saying any clarification on the law should come from the Texas Medical Board.

“We are here today because we support the pro-life laws in Texas and we believe the language is adequate to protect a mother’s life,” said Amy O’Donnell, communications director for the Texas Alliance for Life. The organization’s policy analyst, Deirdre Cooper, said she had been in the same shoes as some of the women suing the state, but she does not regret seeing her baby’s fatal trisomy 18 diagnosis to the end—even if her son did not survive.

“Abortion robs that child of the chance at life– no matter how short. It robs the child of the chance of a miracle or the chance that the medical diagnosis is wrong,” Cooper said. “People think these are such difficult situations, but I disagree. There is nothing difficult about not killing your child– no matter his diagnosis,” she added.

By: Chris Woodward

Amy O’Donnell, communications director at Texas Alliance for Life, says, “Our hearts go out to the women, but we will keep doing everything that we need to do to protect life and keep any weakening exceptions from being added on to our laws in Texas.”

“It’s unfortunate that the Center for Reproductive Rights is using these women’s truly heartbreaking stories to try to gain political ground to increase the number of abortions that can happen in the state of Texas beyond what the legislature allows,” O’Donnell adds.

By: Bridget Grumet

Still, Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked the state’s highest court to overturn Mangrum’s ruling, arguing abortion restrictions should be decided by the Legislature (which, I should note, is 70% men), not the judiciary. He got a loud chorus of backup this week as 10 Texas senators and 80 Texas House members signed onto a brief drafted by an anti-abortion group, the Texas Alliance for Life Trust Fund.