Texas Right to Life is disappointed but not surprised by recent politically motivated attacks about the endorsements made in the upcoming Republican Primary Election on March 6. We are thankful for our devoted members and committed activists who are not duped or distracted by such invectives and who have encouraged Texas Right to Life to stay focused on winning.
Texas Right to Life has worked for decades with diverse stakeholders and advocacy organizations to build consensus on needed life-saving incremental reforms. Uncharitable mischaracterizations of our political and policy goals serve only to dissolve the spirit of collaboration that yielded recent legislative victories to protect the most vulnerable in our state—victories that were hard-fought against the leadership of the Texas House.
Under the leadership of Joe Straus and his henchman Byron Cook, most life-saving legislation was killed in the committee process, and no priority Pro-Life legislation would have become law without the direct intervention of Governors Perry and Abbott. Because of the tyrannical grip on the Texas House, Texas has fallen from fourth most Pro-Life state in the nation to twelfth, according to national Pro-Life rankings.
Although Straus and Cook have announced their departure, one of the goals of this upcoming Republican Primary Election is to defeat a few more of the liberal House leadership and those with ties to the Austin Establishment. In doing so, Texas Right to Life has endorsed challengers and incumbents who are committed to new leadership in the Texas House—leadership who will help Texas regain our rightful place in top national Pro-Life rankings and who will not cater to the Austin lobby interests.
Texas Right to Life, our staff, our board, and our members are unapologetic in speaking the truth, including during election time, about which elected officials help or hurt the Pro-Life cause. We are unafraid to forge ahead with focused determination in the wake of political attacks from those who work to keep the Austin Establishment and lukewarm incumbents in power.