The Republican Party of Texas (RPT) voted to include crucial Pro-Life platform planks and legislative priorities recommended by Texas Right to Life. The boldly Pro-Life language adopted by the party signals Texans’ solid resolve to end abortion and pass meaningful and effective legislation to save lives and hold the abortion industry accountable. With the possibility of the Supreme Court of the United States overturning Roe v. Wade, Texans are now focusing on building a fully Pro-Life state.
Pro-Life Republican delegates from across the state stood for Life along with Texas Right to Life. When a motion was made from the floor to strike Pro-Life language from the Platform, Dr. John Seago, Texas Right to Life’s new president, testified on the convention floor in defense of Plank 216. Dr. Seago explained that the plank calls for the Texas Legislature to “extend the private cause of action used in the Texas Heartbeat Act to all pro-life laws and policies in Texas.” In a resounding vote the party delegates rejected the attempt to remove plank 216, ensuring the efficacy of Texas Pro-Life laws, both now and after Roe is overturned.
The final RPT Platform also includes planks that call for:
- Investing in pregnant women: Plank 166 urges the legislature to “support programs that provide assistance to pregnant women” through the Alternatives to Abortion program, “safeguarding pregnant and parenting college students from discrimination,” and reforming the adoption process.
- Repealing the 10-Day Rule: Plank 171 unequivocally calls “for the Texas Legislature to repeal the unethical, unconstitutional, unprecedented, and anti-life 10-Day Law.”
RPT delegates voted to rank abolishing abortion in Texas as the third of eight legislative priorities for the 88th Texas Legislature.
#3 Abolish Abortion in Texas: On the recommendation of our legislative team, RPT adopted language to fully enforce all Pro-Life laws, including through the civil enforcement mechanism that has made the Texas Heartbeat Act so massively effective. The priority proposes “adopting effective tools to ensure the enforcement of our laws to protect life when district attorneys fail to do so.”
Texas Right to Life President Dr. John Seago responded,
“Texans have sent a clear and bold message to the State Legislature and the country: Texas Republicans are Pro-Life, we expect our elected officials to do their jobs to fully enforce our life-saving laws and to help us build a Pro-Life Texas after Roe.”