The Texas Senate has passed seven pro-life bills this week, including a “heartbeat” measure and one that would ban elective abortions entirely should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade.
All of the bills have now been sent to the state House for hearings and debate.
The Texas Abolition Strategy (SB 1647) is an omnibus measure that includes three separate pro-life provisions; the Heartbeat Act (SB 8), which would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected; and the Preborn NonDiscrimination Act (PreNDA) (SB 1173), which would abolish abortions sought due to the sex, ethnicity, or disability of the unborn baby.
Other pro-Life bills that cleared final passage in the Texas Senate are the Regulating Abortion-Inducting Drugs Act (SB 394), which would outlaw the delivery by mail of drugs that induce abortion; the Trigger Abortion Ban Act (SB 9), which seeks to abolish all remaining elective abortions in Texas if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the decision in the 1973 case of Roe v. Wade; and the Every Mother Matters Act (SB 802), would require women seeking abortions to be able to obtain free resources and counseling by a medical or mental health professional who would provide accurate information about abortion, assistance to the woman and her family, and a screening for abuse, neglect, and human trafficking.
A seventh bill (SB 650) would block taxpayer-funded abortion logistical support, banning supplying funds for costs that are indirectly associated with obtaining an abortion.
Texas Right to Life said in a statement it celebrates the passage of the pro-life bills and “thanks Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and the Texas Senate for this historic Session.”
Patrick listed the Heartbeat Act and the Human Life Protection Act, or the Abortion Ban Trigger, among his priority pieces of legislation for the 2021 session.
Young pro-life activists with Students for Life of America (SFLA) and Students for Life Action (SFLAction) testified in support of the bills.
“We are watching Texas closely,” said SFLA/SFLAction President Kristan Hawkins. “Texas is home to the origin story of Roe v. Wade — and I think the entire pro-life movement would welcome Texas putting a nail in Roe’s coffin with one of its strong pro-life bills this session.”