Today, Texas Right to Life released the Pro-Life Scorecard, detailing how Texas state representatives and senators served preborn children, pregnant mothers, and vulnerable patients during the Regular and Special Sessions of the 87th Texas Legislature.
The Pro-Life Scorecard is an objective appraisal of the actions legislators took or refused to take — in committee, on the floor, authoring and co-authoring Pro-Life Priority Bills and amendments, and public statements on Pro-Life policies.
The 87th Legislature can be summarized as a great victory for preborn children and a devastating loss for vulnerable patients.
The Texas Heartbeat Act (Senate Bill 8) is the strongest Pro-Life bill to take effect since Roe v. Wade, saving thousands of lives since September 1. A complementary victory was increased funding allocated to the life-affirming Alternatives to Abortion program.
Tragically, vulnerable patients did not receive the same favorable consideration. The Legislature left in place the lethal 10-Day Rule which allows hospitals to withdraw basic life-sustaining care against a patient’s expressed medical decision. As a result, the scorecard depicts this mixed review of the Legislature.
Texas Right to Life Legislative Director Dr. John Seago responded:
“The Pro-Life Scorecard is the most effective way for Pro-Life Texans to evaluate if their elected officials adequately represented their Pro-Life values in Austin. While the Pro-Life movement in Texas celebrates the victories of the Texas Heartbeat Act and fully funding the Alternatives to Abortion program, there is still much work to be done in the Capitol to protect every Texan from fertilization to natural death.”
Some lawmakers went above and beyond to advance Pro-Life Priority Bills and thus earned praise as heroes and champions in the 2021 scorecards. Conversely, some politicians thwarted life-saving policies and were named adversaries and disappointments.