A Texas pro-life group fought in court yesterday for its right to enforce the state’s abortion ban by being able to file lawsuits against Planned Parenthood and other abortion businesses and abortionists who legally kill babies in abortions in violation of the Texas law.
Planned Parenthood and 13 other members of the abortion industry are targeting Texas Right to Life over its advocacy and support for the Texas Heartbeat Act.
Judge David Peeples held a hearing in Van Stean v. Texas Right to Life in Austin, Texas but the pro-abortion legal attacks, even if successful, would not stop the law from being in place, it would just block Texas Right to Life from enforcing it.
“The legal attacks heard today in court will not block citizens from enforcing the Texas Heartbeat Act, and Planned Parenthood directly admitted that they will not be able to return to business as usual even if the judge rules in their favor,” the group told LifeNews.com.
Pro-abortion attorneys made clear their true motivations for this lawsuit: silencing Texas Right to Life and other pro-life advocates.
“Texas Right to Life and John Seago are the biggest threats to Planned Parenthood,” their lawyer stated in the hearing, referring to the group’s legislative director.
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The abortion business’ attorneys argued that a ruling against Texas Right to Life and the Texas Heartbeat Act would have “persuasive power,” meaning the anti-Life ruling could possibly convince other Pro-Life activists, judges, and attorneys not to hold abortionists accountable to the law.
Texas Right to Life Director of Media and Communication Kimberlyn Schwartz responded: “This is an absolute abuse of the judicial system and turns our courts into shills for the abortion industry. Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry have not alleged that Texas Right to Life or John Seago have done anything unconstitutional. They’re attacking us because of our beliefs.”
“Regardless of the outcome of this hearing, we expect the case to be appealed to the Supreme Court of Texas,” she noted.
The group concluded: “The abortion industry is attempting to punish Texas Right to Life for supporting the Texas Heartbeat Act and having the ability to hold them accountable to the law. We will not be deterred. Texas Right to Life is fully committed to fighting these invalid legal attacks and we are confident that these cases will ultimately be resolved with the rule of law and Pro-Lifers’ constitutional free speech rights upheld.”
Attorney for Texas Right to Life, Andrew Stephens argued that the arguments made by Ecklund and Murray were not supported by constitutional or case law.
“Aiding and abetting is a term well known in a criminal law context… if the term is unconstitutionally vague then every accomplice liability statute in Texas would be unconstitutional and that just can’t be the case,” said Stephens.
The Supreme Court held a hearing earlier this month on the question of temporarily blocking the ban while the lawsuits against it proceed.
