In May, the Texas Legislature passed a much-needed reform to Texas abortion law that affects vulnerable pregnant teenagers and their parents. And the abortion industry is not happy about potentially losing their youngest clients.
Until recently (the new reform went into effect January 1), pregnant teens seeking abortions without parental knowledge or consent would be ushered through a loophole-ridden legal system by abortion-zealous lawyers. These lawyers, who work in partnership with the abortion mills that stand to profit from the minors’ abortions, would usher young girls from court to court until securing a favorable judge who would grant the bypass. Obtaining a judicial bypass (a judge’s permission in lieu of parental involvement) was simply a matter of filing and re-filing the case in different counties until a judge approved the petition. Worse, if a judge did not decide one way or another within a narrow timeframe, the request would be automatically granted.
These lax standards for judicial bypass served no one but the abortion industry – and least of all the minors facing unplanned pregnancies without the input or support of a trusted guardian vouching for the best interest of both children (the mother, and her preborn baby) involved. House Bill 3994 successfully closes the loopholes and protects the minors vulnerable to the predatory profiteering of Big Abortion.
And Big Abortion is mad. Their Texas ally in selling abortion to minors is an organization called Jane’s Due Process. JDP connects abortion-zealous attorneys seeking pro bono hours with abortion-vulnerable girls. In a pathetic holiday fundraising ploy, the organization calls HB 3994 “draconian,” proffering lies about the content and intent of the legislation.
HB 3994 “turned on vulnerable pregnant teens,” reads the ominous message, “many of them victims of abuse and neglect.” In actual fact, loopholes in Texas’ judicial bypass law have posed a much greater threat to pregnant teens than the Pro-Life HB 3994 reform ever could. Under the previous law, pregnant minors who are abused and sexually exploited – in some cases by much older perpetrators – can be taken through the judicial bypass process, undergo an abortion, and returned to the arms of their abusers without any advocacy for their well-being.
HB 3994 is a glimmer of hope for abused and neglected teens, mandating that judges and abortionists report suspected abuse and involve law enforcement to ensure the girl’s safety. The reform also prevents abortion-loving lawyers from overriding denied petitions by re-filing until they find a sympathetic judge. Furthermore, the reform reverses the automatic granting of the petition after two days. HB 3994 is not draconian; using vulnerable pregnant teens for profit is.