Abortion debate heats up; what will Texas do? | Sunny 99.1 iHeartRadio

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By: Cliff Saunders

Well, the legislature is close to sending the “born alive” bill to Governor Abbott’s Desk. Joe Pojman with Texas Alliance for Life says it’s a necessary step.

“It’s an excellent bill. It protects a child that was born alive after an abortion, something Texas should have done a long time ago,” Pojman stated.

That is the only pro-life bill that will likely be passed this session. We asked Pojman why lawmakers would not bring up a more restrictive bill like what was passed in Alabama.

“We admire their intent. Strategically it’s not wise. Texas has taken the better route. We are doing what is possible,” Pojman explained, adding that right now the votes aren’t on the Supreme Court to ban abortion; an issue that is now going to take center stage in the 2020 campaign.

Texas too timid against abortion? Conservatives divided on whether GOP could have advocated near-ban | Dallas News

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By: Gardner Selby

Senate Bill 1033 would repeal language allowing a third-trimester abortion in cases of a severe fetal abnormality, meaning a life-threatening condition “incompatible with life outside the womb.” Further, the bill would bar an abortion at any time that’s requested due to the race, ethnicity or sex of a fetus, or due to the probability of having, or a diagnosis of, Down syndrome or a severe disability.

Both NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, which lobbies for abortion rights, and the Texas Alliance for Life, among anti-abortion groups, see legal weakness in the bill. Each group says restrictions on abortion before 20 weeks post-fertilization likely won’t survive court review.

“It will not survive a federal court challenge and will save no lives,” Pojman told alliance members in an online post. “The result will be more bad precedent and huge attorneys’ fees for the plaintiffs.” He added, though: “We hope that in coming years there will be enough votes on the Supreme Court to uphold a bill like this.”

Senate seeks to extend time in end-of-life hospital disputes | Austin American Statesman

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By: Renzo Downey

Joe Pojman, executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life, one of the organizations in a coalition that opposed SB 2089 — which also includes the Texas Medical Association and the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops — said the coalition was not consulted on the change to 45 days and had not yet met to discuss that alteration. However, the Alliance for Life appreciated Lucio’s amendment, he said.

Why Isn’t Texas Getting Its Own Heartbeat Bill? | Dallas Observer

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By: STEPHEN YOUNG

Texas Alliance for Life, one of the state’s biggest anti-abortion advocacy groups, actually came out against the bill. Passing HB 1500, according to the group, could actually strengthen abortion providers in Texas due to the attorneys’ fees Texas could be forced to shell out if they are sued over the law.

The measure “bans abortions on non-viable abortions when the heartbeat is detected, which the Supreme Court does not permit,” the group said in explaining its decision. “This law has been passed in three states and struck down in all three, Arkansas, North Dakota and Iowa. Requests by Arkansas and North Dakota to review the cases have been denied by the Supreme Court.”

Why Texas abortion opponents aren’t leading the charge to overturn Roe v. Wade | Texas Tribune

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By: Arya Sundaram

Meanwhile, Joe Pojman, executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life, fears that any legal battle could uphold abortion rights while funneling potentially millions of dollars in attorneys’ fees to abortion providers. Those worries stem from a legal battle over a 2013 Texas statelaw that required doctors who performed abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and forced clinics to comply with the standards of ambulatory surgical centers.

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down key provisions of that law in late 2016. The decision has been hailed by abortion rightsadvocates as their biggest Supreme Court victory since Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a case that reaffirmed the constitutional right of abortion established in Roe v. Wade. The attorneys’ fees from that case still haven’t been resolved in court, but the state could pay roughly $4.5 million.

“That’s a big setback because it’d be a windfall for the abortion industry,” Pojman said. “More than a dozen cases are in the pipeline to overturn Roe v. Wade. We don’t need any more.”

Texas Heartbeat Bill Dies in the House | The Texan

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By: TONY GUAJARDO

Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life said, “Our goal is to completely protect unborn babies from abortion beginning at fertilization. However, at this time we are not recommending the Texas Legislature support the heartbeat bill and other bills that have little chance of surviving a federal court challenge.”

He continued, “The bad precedent of a loss will be used to strike down more pro-life laws in Texas and other states. The 2016 loss in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt in which the Supreme Court struck down safety regulations at abortion facilities has been used to strike down a number of laws in other states. It is heartbreaking to see that happen in state after state.”