Overview

Human life is a precious gift that we believe begins at conception and ends at natural death. Tragically, many in our culture view life as disposable. The 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade forced abortion on demand onto the American public.  Since this disastrous decision, an estimated 50 million unborn children have been killed and the abortion industry continues to profit, many times at taxpayer expense, by taking the lives of innocent babies.  Other important developments have shaped the ongoing discourse on abortion and bio-ethics issues:

Taxpayer funding of abortion providers – The world’s largest abortion provider now receives hundreds of millions of government funding in a single year. States that no longer fund local Planned Parenthood clinics, including Texas, still face federal opposition in the form of millions of taxpayer dollars from the federal government.

Women’s right to know – Despite Texas’ success in passing legislation to fully inform women of all critical information related to the life or death decision of an abortion, abortion advocates continue to oppose and undermine these common sense laws, showing they care more about the revenue of abortion providers than the health of women.

Abortion without parental involvement – As of 2012, numerous states allow minors to undergo abortion without parental consent. Texas requires a minor to obtain both parental notification and parental consent before an abortion, but a judge may be able to excuse her from obtaining either one. But, once again, abortion advocates oppose these common sense policies and seek to undermine parental rights.

Embryonic stem cell leniency – In 2009, President Obama rescinded previously enacted stem cell policy by removing the cutoff date for federal funding of research on stem cell lines created after 2001. Texas has no official policy on embryonic stem cell research.

 

Texas Values Life

Texas Values supports equal protection under the law for unborn human beings, and is against all research that eliminates, harms, or changes a human being. We support a ban on embryonic stem cell research in Texas. We support adult stem cell research efforts, which do not result in the destruction of life, and that have been proven to be effective.  Members of the Texas Values team have been instrumental in providing research, testimony, and legal analysis for pro-life causes in Texas, including the:

Sonogram Law – In 2011, the Texas Legislature approved a bill requiring abortion providers to provide a sonogram before performing an abortion. A woman seeking an abortion can choose whether to view the sonogram images and whether to hear the fetal heartbeat. She is required to hear the medical explanation of the sonogram at least 24 hours before the abortion. There are now strict penalties in place for abortion providers who violate this law. The law was challenged by abortion advocates and the federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the law as constitutional.

Defunding of Planned Parenthood – In 2011, legislation was passed that effectively defunded Planned Parenthood and all other abortion providers in Texas, making ours the seventh state to cut off the abortion provider from state allocated funds. The bill redirects tens of millions in taxpayer funds to other organizations that provide medical services to poor women, and bans counties from allocating taxpayer funds for abortion (Travis County and others had previously used public revenue to fund abortion services).

Choose-Life License Plate – In 2011, legislation was passed that created a specialty license plate with the message “Choose Life”.  Proceeds from the sale of the plates will be distributed to pro-life non-profit organizations that provide for the needs of pregnant women who are considering adoption.

 

Protecting the Lives of Texans with Your Support

Please join us in making a life-saving difference for future generations of unborn Texas children. Your gift will enable Texas Values to continue to stand for the sanctity of human life.  Please prayerfully consider a generous gift, believing that we can – and will – protect the unborn in Texas.