At a press conference intended to strengthen her recent reinvention as a “pro-life” lawmaker, U.S. Rep. Kay Granger (R–Fort Worth) dodged questions about baby Tinslee Lewis and her struggle against a local hospital’s attempts to end her life.
Tuesday afternoon, Granger held a press conference in Fort Worth, surrounded by representatives of the Susan B. Anthony List, Texas Alliance for Life, and Texans for Life—all three are organizations that purportedly support the pro-life movement and have endorsed Granger.
“Those are three of the leading pro-life organizations in the state and in the country, and they have supported me just like I have supported them,” Granger said. “I’m honored to have them here today.”
In addition to her record and an audio clip in which she proclaimed herself to be a “pro-choice Republican,” the endorsement from one of these organizations casts even more doubt onto Granger’s claims of having become a pro-life convert.
Texas Alliance for Life (TAL), an organization with a long history of providing cover to liberal Republicans, has recently taken a very anti-life position regarding a baby who has already been born.
Baby Tinslee Lewis was born with congenital heart disease and is currently at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, relying on a ventilator to live. In October of last year, the hospital announced it would remove Tinslee’s life support on November 10, over the objections of her mother.
As justification for this decision, the hospital provided only a vague “quality-of-life” argument. This is legal under Texas’ unjust 10-day rule. According to Texas Right to Life, the premier pro-life organization in Texas, this law allows a hospital committee to end “life-sustaining care,” even if the patient or his or her surrogate objects.
Trinity Lewis, Tinslee’s mother, has been fighting the hospital to keep her baby alive. Her baby’s life was temporarily spared last year because of an 11th-hour injunction signed by Judge Alex Kim, who is now under threat of having his authority over similar cases removed this Thursday by the other judges of Tarrant allegedly for saving Tinslee’s life.
Tinslee’s family is continuing the fight in the Texas courts to keep her alive.
During Tuesday’s press conference, Texas Scorecard asked Granger if her acceptance of Texas Alliance for Life’s endorsement meant that she agrees with TAL’s position that Tinslee should be left to die against the wishes of her family.
“I’m accepting their endorsement for the work that I’ve done and the legislation that I supported, and that’s why they support me,” she replied.
When asked her position on the Tinslee Lewis situation, Granger said, “Let me go to another question.”
Texas Scorecard has previously reached out to the Granger campaign regarding Tinslee Lewis and received no reply.
Granger’s primary opponent, businessman and former Colleyville Mayor Pro Tem Chris Putnam, did reply to our inquiry last month:
“I am 100 percent pro-life, from conception to natural death. It is scary to think Texas law allows death panels where doctors can decide who lives and dies based on expenses. Tinslee is a prime example of how barbaric the law really is.”
Putnam has been endorsed by Texans for Fiscal Responsibility and Texas Right to Life.
The primary election will be on March 3, 2020. Early voting will be from February 18-28.
