AFN talked with Kimberlyn Schwartz, the Texas Right to Life Director of Media and Communication, about a couple bills being passed or reconsidered in Texas legislature.
Senate Bill 33, otherwise known as the Stop Tax-funded Abortion Travel Act, is now law in Texas. The purpose is to prevent the government from providing financial assistance toward out-of-state abortions.
The issue arose as governments in Texas used taxpayer money to fund women leaving the state to get abortions in other states. This new law aims to stop it.
Schwartz believes that it is sad that this policy was needed in the first place. However, there have been about 15,000 Texas women leaving the state for abortions over the last few years, and some of those trips were paid for by tax dollars.
"That means that Christians, taxpayers, are being forced to participate in evil, in abortion, in violence, and so this policy was introduced to make sure that these cities stop doing that." Schwartz says.
Texas Values reports Austin City Council approved $400,000 in the city budget for a fund that would provide money for air travel, hotels, and food as part of the effort to persuade women to go out of state for an abortion.
One group that has been given a check is Jane’s Due Process, who sends teenagers out of state for abortions whether or not the parent is knowledgeable of the event.
"And so, that's the kind of evil that taxpayers are being forced to participate in, and again, that's a tragedy that Austin City Council has already given $100,000 total, but it has set aside $400,000 for abortion travel,” Schwartz elaborates.
Schwartz said San Antonio City Council set aside $500,000 for its "reproductive justice fund," intending to pay for out-of-state abortion travel. She said Texas Right to Life and other pro-life groups sued and got them to stop. She added that since it was stopped, they have not spent the money on abortion groups yet.
She said her team knows they want to hurry up and spend it on abortion groups before this law takes effect in September, but that they haven't yet.
"The Stop Tax-funded Abortion Travel Act by Senator Donna Campbell and Representative Candy Noble is not only going to protect preborn babies, but also the consciences of taxpayers so that way, we're not being forced to participate in something that ends the human life like abortion,” Schwartz states.
Meanwhile, pro-life groups in Texas continue to try and stop abortions in their own state as abortion pills continue to be an epidemic.
"The reality is that abortion pills are the biggest problem that preborn children face in Texas. Even though abortion is illegal, there are websites and traffickers that bring these pills into Texas against our state laws,” Schwartz says.
Texas Right to Life says there are about 19,000 abortion pills mailed into Texas every year. Schwartz said that means that about 19,000 Texas children are killed by these pills, and something needs to be done.
"That's why Texas Right to Life is calling on Governor Greg Abbott to add the Woman and Child Protection Act to its summer special session agenda,” Schwartz explains.
This act, also called Senate Bill 2880, previously passed through the Texas Senate, but it was slow walked to death in the House. Texas Right for Life wrote a letter to Governor Abbott about giving the bill another chance to pass during the special session.
"Lawmakers are going to be meeting in July 21st for 30 days, and they can only work on legislative items that the governor names. So, if Governor Abbott says we want to work on the Woman and Child Protection Act, then lawmakers will have another chance to stop abortion pills and protect preborn children.”
Schwartz said if people want to help her team stop abortion pills, there is a form that can be filled out to contact Governor Abbott on the Texas Right to Life website.
"We really hope that he will see the urgency of this problem, that just because abortion is illegal doesn't mean that the problem has gone away. We need to do more to save preborn children, especially as the abortion industry tries to go underground," Schwartz says.
