The anti-abortion movement is about to win. Even it isn’t ready for what comes next. | Vox

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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.

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.

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.”

A Plan Forms in Mexico: Help Americans Get Abortions | New York Times

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By: Natalie Kitroeff

Legal experts say such laws may be challenged after the F.D.A. decision, but for now, these state measures could discourage American doctors from sending pills to parts of the country with restrictive regulations.

“For the first time, Texas does have a way to protect women, through our criminal law, from people bringing dangerous abortion pills,” said Joe Pojman, executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life, an organization that helped craft the measure. “We’ll have to wait to see how well it is enforced in the coming months.”

Anti-abortion groups acknowledge that criminally punishing activists who distribute the pills, especially if they are from Mexico, may prove difficult. They would have to be caught and arrested in Texas, or extradited, experts say.