[Houston, TX] Yesterday, Texas Right to Life marked the 40th anniversary of the founding of the organization.
Established in 1973, after the Supreme Court issued the devastating ruling that allowed unmitigated abortion throughout the country, Texas Right to Life has led the way in proving to Texas and the nation that abortion is not a sacred right, is not health care, and does not liberate women.
The 1973 Roe v Wade decision by the Supreme Court was not unnoticed then, nor was the damage overestimated. Dr. Graham, current President and founding board member of Texas Right to Life admitted, “We knew that unleashing abortion was unwise to say the least, and we also felt a sense of dread for this practice that would inevitably expand in ways unfathomable.”
The early years of trying to foster a culture of Life in Texas were not easy. “The hardest battle of the last 40 years has been trying to convince people that positive steps could be taken through Pro-Life legislation,” Graham remembered.
The first major Pro-Life bill passed in Texas, and championed by Texas Right to Life, was the Parental Notification Act of 1999, signed by then-Governor George W. Bush. Since then, Governor Rick Perry has helped pass and then signed numerous Pro-Life bills into law, including the landmark Sonogram Law of 2011 and a state budget bill that removed over $64 million from the abortion industry.
When asked what piece of legislation has had most impact over last 40 years, Graham stated, “The merits of each law should be exalted. Saving one life by informed consent or by a sonogram is a victory. The most recent law, House Bill 2 from the Special Session of the Legislature, will also have a significant impact on protecting women and their preborn children.”
House Bill 2, recently signed into law by Governor Perry on July 18 prohibits abortion in Texas after the 5th month of pregnancy based on the medical evidence that preborn children feel pain at that point of development. This historic legislation will save thousands of lives every year and continue to further Texas’ record as a state that leads for Life.
When asked to share his vision for the future of Texas Right to Life, Executive Director, Jim Graham responded, “In the next forty years, our increasingly Pro-Life Texas population will rejoice to see a reduction in both the total number of abortions and the percentage of pregnancies that end in abortion. As the membership and staff of Texas Right to Life grows every year, the political, legislative, and educational activities of the largest Pro-Life organization in the South will expedite the building of the Culture of Life in Texas, a state where every human life soon will be respected, cherished, and protected from conception until natural death.”
On September 13, Texas Right to Life will celebrate with all of Texas and Governor Perry the major successes that have been achieved as well as showcase those who have helped build the Culture of Life in the last 40 years.