U.S. Supreme Court changes embolden Texas Legislature’s abortion foes heading into session | Dallas Morning News

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By: Alex Briseno

The executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life, Joe Pojman, said Republicans’ success in November should embolden abortion opponents heading into the legislative session that began Tuesday.

“The blue wave, funded by millions of dollars, came into Texas, crashed on the rocks and went nowhere,” Pojman said. “I think Republicans have every right to feel emboldened to continue to advance a reasonable but a conservative agenda.”

He added, “The seas are much flatter and less turbulent now for leadership in the House and Senate than two years ago.”

Courtney Chambers, Texas advocacy director for Whole Woman’s Health Alliance, said the pandemic makes access to abortion especially important this session.

“Lawmakers should really be focusing on ensuring expanded access to health care, making sure people have everything they need and not spending time on restricting access and restricting abortion care,” Chambers said. “Now is not the time, during a pandemic, to focus on having less access to health care.”

Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the third high court pick of Trump’s presidency, was confirmed on Oct. 26, the week before Election Day.

Democrats opposed the timing of the nomination, citing 2016, when the Republican-led Senate shut out President Barack Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, almost eight months before the elections. The Senate confirmed Barrett on a 52-48 vote, sliding the Supreme Court to the right and giving abortion opponents hope that the court will chip away at abortion rights.

Pojman said one of Alliance for Life’s priorities is passage of the Human Life Protection Act, which would prohibit abortion beginning at fertilization if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

He also said his group is closely watching Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case that could allow the high court to review Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, which failed to go into effect in 2018 when a federal appeals court ruled it unconstitutional.

If the Supreme Court takes the case, Pojman said, Texas needs to have a new law ready to go into effect when the court rules.

“They may allow states to ban abortions at 15 weeks, they may change the precedent in other ways; we have no way to know,” Pojman said. “We have realized that we have to be very patient. Our hopes have been dashed many, many times in the past, but there’s a possibility.”

Texas Senate panel weighs banning abortion in 2021 | Austin American Statesman

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By: Chuck Lindell

Joe Pojman, executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life, testified that his organization will be pushing the Human Life Protection Act, which would set “a complete ban on abortion beginning at fertilization” if allowed by the Supreme Court.

If the high court chisels away at abortion rights, perhaps by approving Mississippi’s currently challenged law ending abortion at 15 weeks, the act would implement the 15-week ban in Texas, Pojman said.

“Texas needs a law to ban abortions to the extent allowable,” he told the committee.

Until the Supreme Court acts, heartbeat bills and other legislation to severely limit when abortions are allowed will continue to be overturned by lower courts, “saving no lives,” Pojman said.

Supreme Court Strikes Down Restrictive Louisiana Abortion Law | Houston Press

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By: Schaefer Edwards

Texas Alliance for Life Executive Director Joe Pojman expressed disappointment, but made sure to declare it wasn’t a major setback for the pro-life movement since it only upheld the Supreme Court’s previous ruling in the Whole Woman’s Health case. In a prepared statement, Pojman said that while the impact of Monday’s ruling “is not lost on us,” their end goal remains clear.

“The Supreme Court’s unjust Roe v. Wade precedent must be reconsidered from an unbiased perspective,” he said.

U.S. Supreme Court Overturns Louisiana Abortion Law | WBAP

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“In the instance that a woman has a complication with an abortion and has to be rushed to an emergency room at a nearby hospital, that doctor should be able to follow her and continue treating the patient,” said Texas Alliance for Life Director Joe Pojman.

Pojman said the 5 to 4 vote was disappointing, however, it’s not a setback.

“We have lost no ground. The rule requiring doctors who perform abortions to have hospital privileges in Louisiana, Texas, and other states, reasonable as it is, cannot be enforced today just as it could not be enforced prior to this ruling. Abortion facilities can continue to challenge safety regulations that clearly benefit the women they claim to represent. Additionally, there was no expectation the Court would overrule Roe v. Wade today because Louisiana did not ask for that,’ said Pojman.

Pojman said Texas tried to pass a similar law in 2013, but that was also shut down. “So abortion providers are flourishing in Texas and there are than a dozen that operate with very low safety standards,”he said. Pojman said Texas has over 50,00 abortions every year and notes women should be able to receive emergent medical care in the case of an emergency.

“The only way we can change this is to get Justices on the Supreme Court to take a fresh lo at Roe vs Wade and that will only happen if Donald Trump gets re-elected as president,” said Pojman.

Pojman said the Supreme Court’s unjust Roe v. Wade precedent must be reconsidered from an unbiased perspective.

The fight over Texas’ abortion ban during the COVID-19 pandemic is over, but what did it all mean?

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By: Maria Mendez

Meanwhile, anti-abortion groups say state leaders, who are beginning to reopen the economy, had a legitimate interest in protecting public health.

“We’re really grateful to the governor for issuing these executive orders that have been intended to protect the public and the medical providers serving the public,” said Joe Pojman, executive director of the Texas Alliance For Life.