Texas Pro-Life Advocates Rally at State Capitol for Abortion-Ultrasound Bill
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 24, 2009
Austin, TX (LifeNews.com) — Hundreds of pro-life advocates from across Texas rallied at the state capitol on Tuesday to support a bill that would allow women a chance to see an ultrasound of their baby before an abortion. When used in pregnancy centers, ultrasounds persuade 80 percent of women to keep their baby.
Gov. Rick Perry, Attorney Gen. Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and the authors of the ultrasound bill, Sen. Dan Patrick and Rep. Frank Corte, delivered comments at the rally and a news conference.
The pro-life advocates rallied in favor of SB 182 and HB 36, measures that would update the Women’s Right to Know Act to ensure that every pregnant woman be given the opportunity to listen to the heartbeat and view an ultrasound image of her unborn child at least two hours prior to the abortion.
Texas Alliance for Life’s executive director, Joe Pojman, was also one of the speakers and he told LifeNews.com the bill is the top priority of various pro-life groups throughout the state.
"This bill is one of our top priorities," said Pojman. "We cannot understand why anyone would deny women the information they need to decide whether to have an abortion."
In 2007, the state Senate approved the bill and it stalled in the House. Governor Perry endorsed the legislation last month in his state of the State address.
Under Patrick’s bill, women would not be required to see the ultrasound but they must be allowed the chance to do so and can sign a form stating they were given the opportunity.
"I’m interested in protecting the lives of the unborn and giving a woman an option before she makes that fatal choice for that fetus, for that baby, to look at that ultrasound," he said previously. "That might persuade her to save that life."
The Texas Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates and Texas NARAL oppose the bill allowing women a chance to see the ultrasound.
During hearings on the prior bill, Juli Morrison of Seguin testified for it and said that she had an abortion 13 years ago and the abortion practitioner took a sonogram of her unborn baby but would not show it to her.
"I’m not here to argue the sanctity of life or anything," she said, according to AP. "I know from personal experience, from counseling women who are post-abortive, as much information as you can give them is the best."
There are more than 74,000 abortions in Texas annually and legislators are hoping Patrick’s bill and others the legislature is considering will help reduce that figure.
Related web sites:
Texas Right to Life – https://www.texasrighttolife.org
Texas Alliance for Life – https://www.texasallianceforlife.org
Texas legislature – https://www.capitol.state.tx.us
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