By: Sean Boynton
On the other hand, [Amy O’Donnell] a spokesperson for the Texas Alliance for Life, a nonprofit “committed to protecting the fundamental right to life of all innocent human beings” and opposed to abortion (except to preserve the mother’s life), said the organization was “very thrilled” with the decision.
By: ELEANOR KLIBANOFF
But now, the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, clearing the way for Texas to ban abortion in nearly all cases. Domestic violence victims are among the least likely to be able to travel out of state or safely self-manage a medication abortion at home, leaving them no choice but to carry a pregnancy to term.
For advocates and legislators who have spent decades working to ban abortion in Texas, domestic violence does not justify an exception to the rule.
“When a woman is a victim of sexual assault that results in pregnancy, from our point of view, we now have two victims,” said Joe Pojman, executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life. “Violence is not a solution to violence, and we consider abortion very much a violent act.”
Pojman argues that abortion perpetuates violence by allowing abusers to cover up evidence of sexual assault and reproductive coercion.
By: Katie Kindelan and Faith Bernstein
“The vast majority of the activity in the pro-life movement is really these hundreds of pro-life pregnancy centers and maternity homes who are designed to help women, and help them long after the baby is born,” said Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, an Austin-based organization that opposes abortion, adding that he hopes Texas serves as an “example for the rest of the country.”
“For those women who seek abortion out of state in border states or beyond, it breaks my heart,” said Pojman. “It breaks all our hearts in the pro-life movement because Texas has such vast resources for women with unplanned pregnancies.”
By: Evan MacDonald , Staff writer
Joe Pojman, the executive director of pro-life advocacy group Texas Alliance for Life, said he and other members of his organization were “ecstatic” after hearing the news.
“Not sure I expected this would come down in my lifetime, but after 35 years in the movement, it has,” he said.
The Supreme Court decision means all 50 states are responsible for drafting their own abortion laws. It also allows dozens of eager states, including Texas, to begin banning the procedure outright. Texas last spring passed a so-called “trigger law,” which will prohibits abortions 30 days after the Supreme Court’s decision.
Kyleen Wright, the president of Texans for Life, said her organization will turn its focus to protecting the state law from any challenges. Wright said Texans for Life will also try to win more public support for the law.
That is likely to be an uphill climb: A University of Texas at Austin poll from last month found that 54 percent of Texans opposed automatically banning all abortions in the state if Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Texas had already taken significant steps to limit abortion access before Friday’s decision. Senate Bill 8, which went into effect last September, prohibits abortion as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected and created a mechanism through which private citizens can sue abortion providers and others who aided or abetted the procedure.
Wright, who first joined the movement against abortion while living in Houston in 1975, said members of her organization were “pretty jubilant” Friday morning.
“Everyone is very clear that this is the beginning, not the end for us. We have a lot of work to do,” she said. “But everyone is certainly happy to pause and celebrate this big victory.”
Abortion opponents said they need to turn their focus to creating an environment where women do not feel an abortion is necessary under any circumstance. While abortions will be prohibited in Texas, opponents don’t want to see women traveling to other states where the procedure is legal.
Groups that support abortion access say that low-income and minority Texans are most likely to be harmed by a ban on the procedure. Seago said it will be important to take steps to increase support for women during pregnancy and provide medical care for at least one year after a child is born.
Medicaid and the state’s Alternatives to Abortion program do offer support to pregnant women, along with various pro-life nonprofits and church-based ministries.
Pojman believes Texas already has the infrastructure in place to help pregnant women; he said Alternatives to Abortion is designed to serve 150,000 women annually. Texas Health and Human Services statistics show 55,000 abortions were performed in the state in 2020, though that number only includes abortions that were performed legally.
Pojman also noted that SB8 increased Medicaid coverage for women after childbirth to six months, up from 60 days.
“I don’t think enough women in those circumstances even know that these agencies exist,” Pojman said. “Our goal for the foreseeable future is education.”
By: ALI LINAN HERALD-PRESS STATEHOUSE REPORTER
Texas Alliance for Life Executive Director Joe Pojman said he is ecstatic about the decision and also supports efforts to prop up resources to help women carry pregnancies to term.
“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,” Pojman said in a statement.
By: JOHN HANNA, KIMBERLEE KRUESI and HOLLY RAMER
Some abortion opponents argue that it’s better to focus on providing help to pregnant women and make adoption less expensive so they don’t choose abortion. Texas recently allocated $100 million for such services.
“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.