By: Boram Kim
Reaction to the ruling was swift as groups on both sides of the abortion issue went public with statements.
“We are ecstatic. The Supreme Court finally remedied a terrible decision made nearly half a century ago that profoundly damaged society in America,” said Texas Alliance for Life’s Executive Director, Joe Pojman, PhD. “Legal abortions have claimed the lives of more than 62 million unborn children and have hurt countless women. That will no longer be the case in Texas.”
By: John Hanna, Kimberlee Kruesi and Holly Ramer
“I want the Legislature to continue to focus on providing and promoting these alternatives to abortion,” said Joe Pojman, executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life.
By: MARK NORRIS
Texas Alliance for Life, executive director Joe Pojman, Ph.D.
“We are ecstatic. The Supreme Court finally remedied a terrible decision made nearly half a century ago that profoundly damaged society in America. Legal abortions have claimed the lives of more than 62 million unborn children and have hurt countless women. That will no longer be the case in Texas. Roe’s unsound and ultimately indefensible reasoning cost the trust of millions of Americans in the Supreme Court. This decision begins to restore confidence in the Supreme Court and its application of constitutional principles.
The Court’s long-overdue decision will have widespread positive changes in Texas. After nearly half a century, Texas can finally protect mothers and unborn babies from the tragedy of abortion, which the Legislature and Governor Abbott have already taken giant preparatory steps to do.
Now the pro-life movement can expend even greater resources toward providing compassionate alternatives to abortion for women with unplanned pregnancies. Our goal continues to be to build a society where abortion is unthinkable, and women with unplanned pregnancies take full advantage of the vast resources available to them.”
By: https://www.vox.com/authors/anna-north
For now, mainstream anti-abortion groups say they remain committed to punishing providers, not patients. “We firmly believe that women should not be prosecuted for abortion, whether self-managed or through an abortion provider,” said Amy O’Donnell, director of communications for the group Texas Alliance for Life.
But Republican state lawmakers, some backed by more radical abortion opponents, are beginning to break with this ideology. Earlier this year, for example, Louisiana state Rep. Danny McCormick (R) introduced a bill that would allow people who get abortions to be charged with homicide, an offense punishable by life in prison without parole.
By: ANDREW ZHANG, PATRICK SVITEK AND ABBY LIVINGSTON
Anti-abortion activists argue that Democrats are the ones out of touch on abortion. They acknowledge the polling on Roe v. Wade does not appear favorable to the GOP but said that’s because most people do not fully understand the landmark case’s impact and what its overturning could mean.
“The poll numbers have been similar to that year after year after year, and in Texas and other states, the pro-life movement keeps advancing,” both in policy and politics, said Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life. He joked that every GOP candidate who his group interviewed for the March primary was “more pro-life than Mother Teresa.”
By: by Jordan Elder
Other groups, like Texas Alliance for Life, are cautiously optimistic about the contents of the draft.
“It is our hope that when the final decision is released…it reflects the same opinion that we’re seeing now,” said Amy O’Donnell, communications director for the organization. “But we do recognize that drafts circulate and opinions change.”
Texas abortion laws are already among the strictest in the country.
Texas Alliance for Life has lobbied for tougher regulations, including the House Bill 1280, a so-called “trigger law” which hinges on the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
“30 days after the judgment is rendered, then abortion is completely outlawed in Texas, and life is protected from conception to birth,” O’Donnell said.
Texas also passed the Heartbeat Law, which went into effect last year.
It outlaws abortions after a heartbeat is detected, which is usually about six weeks.