Elevated Access is the name of a pilot organization in southern Illinois – a state with a constitutional protection for abortion up to birth if the health of the mother is threatened – that is recruiting volunteer pilots to fly women out of pro-life states to others that are open to terminating pre-born children at any stage of development.
Founded by an anonymous pilot who goes by the pseudonym "Mike Bonanza," Live Action reports that Elevated Access partners with both local abortionists and abortion giants like Planned Parenthood to find women who live in states with pro-life protections who are seeking abortions – a "misguided form of philanthropy," the pro-life advocacy organization submits.
From a legal standpoint, Kyleen Wright of the Texans for Life Coalition urges those pilots to think twice before playing any role in assisting Texans in accessing abortion.
"Our original 1925 law allows for criminal prosecution of 2-10 years even for aiding and abetting [abortion]," she points out. "While the criminal portion has been stayed while it's being fought in the courts, there are still civil penalties with the old law and with the heartbeat law that could apply here."
As for the women who would consider enlisting Elevated Access' services, Wright asserts that pro-life counselors would love to meet with them before they take off.
"If these women want to travel out of state, it's difficult to stop them," she acknowledges. "We would love to persuade them otherwise. There's not a law preventing them from going out of state, but there are laws against aiding and abetting abortion in Texas."
She agrees with Live Action's assessment that "instead of helping and empowering women, the group's mission feeds into a machine that incessantly cranks out the false and ultimately demeaning message that women need abortion to be strong and that they require abortion to have success or a successful family."
When the court lifts the stay on criminal prosecution, Wright says the pilots could end up in a Texas prison for violating the state's laws.
