Austin, May 07, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Texas Senate passed the Preborn NonDiscrimination Act (PreNDA), Senate Bill 1033, by a bipartisan vote of 20-11 on Tuesday. SB 1033 by Senator Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills) would:
- End the remaining late-term abortions in Texas;
- Prohibit abortions committed against preborn children for discriminatory reasons, like the child’s sex, race, or suspected disability; and
- Provide information about life-affirming social and medical services to families whose preborn children are diagnosed with life-limiting disabilities.
In April, dozens of citizens supported this legislation in the Senate Health & Human Services Committee hearing. Parents of children with disabilities described how valuable their children's lives are, and, even in cases where the child passed away, mothers and fathers recounted how abortion would have compounded their suffering, not ended their mourning.
During the debate on the Senate floor, Senator Hancock highlighted the story of one such mother who stated she was glad she didn’t abort her (now 4-year-old) daughter like doctors advised “because if she had she wouldn’t be able to hold her child.”
SB 1033 will protect children inside the womb from discrimination just as the law protects those who are already born. A coalition of over 25 national and statewide leaders penned a recent letter to the Texas Legislature supporting the policy.
Texas Right to Life applauds Senator Hancock for carrying the top abortion-related priority bill for the 86th Legislative Session, and thanks Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick for bringing SB 1033 to the Senate floor for a vote. The bill will now head to the Texas House of Representatives, where Pro-Life activists will push for a quick vote so the bill may be sent to the governor’s desk before May 27 when the legislative session ends.
Founded in 1973, Texas Right to Life is the oldest and largest Pro-Life organization in Texas. Recognized as the statewide leader of the Pro-Life movement in Texas, Texas Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect the rights of the preborn, persons with disabilities, the sick, the elderly, and the vulnerable through legal, peaceful and prayerful means.
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