New Mexico abortion providers prepare for influx of clients if Roe v. Wade is overturned | CNHI

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By: Ali Linan CNHI Texas Statehouse Reporter

During the 2021 legislative session, the state increased the program’s budget 25%, allotting $100 million over two years. According to state estimates, this would provide assistance for more than 150,000 pregnant people each year, far more than the 55,000 that received an abortion in 2020.

In his 2021 interim charges, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick named expanded funding and resources for this program as one of his top priorities.

“I think that kind of puts things in perspective from the point of view of Texas legislature’s goals to protect unborn babies from abortion and provide tremendous resources for women with unplanned pregnancies,” Executive Director for Texas Alliance for Life Joe Pojam said.

Tensions Rise Over Future of Abortion Rights in US | VOA News

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By: Deana Mitchell

For anti-abortion activists, this time constraint is a big step in the right direction.

“Our goal is to make a society such that no woman would even consider having an abortion because she feels there are no alternatives. We do have vast alternatives,” said Joe Pojman, founder of Texas Alliance for Life.

Instead of seeking an abortion, Pojman wants pregnant women to visit Texas’ nearly 200 crisis pregnancy centers, where he says they can find support.

Brittany Green-Benningfield, who heads the Pflugerville Pregnancy Resource Center, said such groups offer a variety of resources for pregnant women.

“So this is our baby boutique for our moms,” she said while offering a tour of the center. “This is where, when they come and take lessons with us, they get an opportunity to shop. Through classes, they earn points, and then they are able to take what they need. We have a licensed sonographer, and she provides ultrasounds for any of our clients that come in. We are giving our moms a first glimpse to see their baby.”

The centers also help women make doctor’s appointments and offer things like canned goods until the child is 2-and-a-half to 3 years old. Pojman said it’s all a big step in the right direction, but that much more work is needed.

“While the number of abortions has substantially decreased and women are seeking more agencies that provide alternatives to abortions, there are still tens of thousands of abortions in Texas going on,” he said.

Six months in, “no end in sight” for Texas’ new abortion law | Texas Tribune

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By: BY ELEANOR KLIBANOFF

Abortion opponents have cheered the decreased access to the procedure in Texas, while lamenting the fact that pregnant patients continue to find ways to terminate their pregnancies.

“We recognize that women in Texas can elect to go out of state for abortions, but it’s our hope that they will choose life and access the amazing programs that we have in our state to provide support and care for them and their child,” said Amy O’Donnell, chief communications officer for Texas Alliance for Life.

The state has invested heavily in the Alternatives to Abortion program, which funnels money to crisis pregnancy centers across the state.

Demand for abortion-inducing medication spiked after Texas’ near-total ban on the procedure | Texas Tribune

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By: ELEANOR KLIBANOFF

A spokesperson for the anti-abortion group Texas Alliance for Life said the organization is looking into ways to pursue legal action against international or out-of-state groups like Aid Access.

“It is concerning to us to see people try to find ways to work around the law,” the spokesperson, Amy O’Donnell, said. “We believe it’s significantly important for girls and women to see a physician in person before obtaining chemical abortion drugs.”

But as abortion access has narrowed in Texas, many providers say they are hearing from patients who feel that accessing this medication outside of the health care system is worth a potential risk.

Public Funding Is Pouring Into Texas’ Anti-Abortion Pregnancy Centers While Abortion Access Hangs in the Balance | Mother Jones

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By: Mary Tuma

This may be precisely what abortion opponents in Texas have been working toward.

“With SCOTUS set to substantially modify or even overturn Roe this year, combined with [SB 8], abortion may not be on the table for women in Texas,” said Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, which champions expanding A2A. “The 54,000 women who received abortions in 2020 will not have that option available and they are going to seek alternatives. And thankfully, the A2A network keeps growing, so now there are more options for them. We are very happy about that—that is our goal.”

Rockdale panel discusses pro-life issues on Sanctity of Life Sunday | Southern Baptist Texan

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By: Gary Ledbetter

Pojman is cautiously optimistic about an overturn of Roe, speculating that the Court has already decided what to do with Roe but likely won’t announce anything until the end of this session in late June. Depending on the outcome, so-called “trigger bills” can go into effect.

“Texas has passed a bill, the Human Life Protection Act, that protects babies from the point of conception, but it won’t go into effect until Roe is overturned,” he said. “It will be up to church-based ministries to take care of women who no longer have the option of going to Dallas and Austin for an abortion.”

He then noted a couple of advantages Texas has as a pro-life state, referring to $100 million the state has allocated to help mothers for the first three years after the birth of their children.

“This governor [Greg Abbott] is committed to life, to adoption. His daughter is adopted out of a church-based adoption center,” Pojman said.

He also responded to a question regarding a response if Roe is not overturned. “My hopes have been dashed many times,” he said. “But we continue to make progress. We’ll keep working. We’re not going anywhere. But I think we’ll get something from SCOTUS that is a step in the right direction.”