Abortion clinics in Texas are trying to recruit support from women in a new public relations campaign this week, even as they fight against a state law requiring basic health protections for woman.
Reuters reports the Texas abortion businesses and several national pro-abortion groups are holding a week-long campaign of rallies called the “Truth Tour” to gain support for the abortion industry ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court hearing on the Texas law in March.
The Supreme Court announced in November that it will hear the lawsuit bought by abortion businesses against the pro-life Texas law, which is responsible for closing abortion clinics that could not guarantee they could protect the health of Texas women. The law has been credited with saving the lives of more than 10,000 unborn children. However, abortion activists claim the law is unconstitutional because it restricts women’s access to abortion.
“When you say a woman has to travel 250 miles each way to access health care that is supposed to be protected by the constitution, we are making a very strong case that is an undue burden which disproportionately affects large segments of the population and needs to be struck down,” said Amy Hagstrom Miller, the CEO of Whole Woman’s Health, which is a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
On Tuesday, Miller’s abortion business opened its San Antonio abortion clinic to the media as part of the campaign, according to the report. Other events are planned throughout the state this week. Abortion activists also are circulating a “Fight Back Pledge” which asks Texans to support legalized abortion, no matter what the high court justices decide about the law, according to WOAI News Radio.
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Pro-lifers in Texas also have begun their own effort to support the life-saving law through prayer. Bound4Life reports that a coalition of pro-life and faith-based groups are uniting under the banner “Texas Loves Life” and calling on churches and individuals to pray for a life-saving decision.
“We’re not doing it for press conferences, lobbying or other common reasons,” blogger Matt Lockett wrote. “The coalition Texas Loves Life exists solely to pray for the Supreme Court, believing for life to be upheld as the court considers an important Texas pro-life law in the current session.”
On the coalition’s recent prayer conference call, Carol Everett, a former abortion clinic manager who now runs a pro-life organization, explained just how effective the law has been in saving babies’ lives in Texas.
“We recently surveyed our network of 183 life-affirming pregnancy centers in Texas, who reported increases as high as 300 percent of women using our ultrasound and other services,” said Everett.
“Working from that detailed survey, we estimate at least 40,000 lives have been saved in Texas since HB 2 was enacted in 2013.”
Lockett said prayer is desperately needed because the U.S. Supreme Court case will impact every state in the nation, either by allowing or banning pro-life policies that protect unborn babies and their mothers.
“The truth is, few people understand this pro-life law and its status in the courts… and even fewer pray about it,” he said. “During the next few months, we will cry out for justice in a spirit of constant prayer.”
The legislation, House Bill 2 (HB2), requires abortion facilities to meet the same safety standards of other ambulatory surgical centers in the state, ensures that abortionists have admitting privileges at a local hospital, and bans painful late abortions on fully formed babies. The admitting privileges portion of the law was the portion responsible for closing abortion clinics and, because so many shut down or stopped doing abortions, abortion activists claim that constituted an undue burden on women.
Texas Right to Life emailed LifeNews more about what the high court will do when it reviews the pro-life law.
“In considering HB 2, SCOTUS will consider the vague notion of “undue burden” as originally addressed in the Court’s 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. For over two decades, this nebulous standard has been used to dismantle Pro-Life legislation, and – although SCOTUS’ deference to the Fifth Circuit’s earlier ruling would have been a victory for HB 2 – the Pro-Life movement at large would welcome clarification of the tenuous “undue burden” standard,” it said.
“In their petition, CRR argued that HB 2 is at odds with the state’s interest to promote health since abortion mills have closed as a result of non-compliance with the increased safety standards set forth in HB 2,” Texas Right to Life added. ”
On the one hand, the abortion industry clamors for uninterrupted taxpayer funding for alleged “women’s healthcare,” denying the use fungible funds for abortion. On the other hand, the abortion industry insists on the right to operate in the absence of the basic health and safety standards to which similar medical professions are held.”
“Until SCOTUS completes a review of the constitutionality of HB 2, the law’s safety standards are delayed from taking effect in Texas,” it noted.
The new appeal will be heard by the nine justices on March 2, and a ruling in the case is expected by the end of June.
