Chairman Jeff Leach, a Republican with a pro-life record, has come out in opposition to HB 896, my legislation that ends abortion and brings equal treatment under the law to all unborn human beings. I truly believe this is the right legislation to pass and right discussion to have. Jeff has passionately shared his disagreements with me, but the last several days have simply increased my resolve to fight for all unborn children.

That being said, I will not be attacking Jeff over this issue.

Further, I have not called out the motives of any of my Republican colleagues for their concerns on this bill.  Jeff had these concerns, and still had the committee hearing. It was a historic night. I appreciate his willingness to raise the issue publicly in Texas for the first time.

Just last week Jeff’s wife, Becky, took an incredibly courageous step in bringing her story to light and advocating for the passage of HB 3809. I bring this up to remind everyone that the people we find ourselves in opposition with on certain issues are still human beings, with real lives, real families, and promote other important issues I am happy to support. I will be co-authoring HB 3809 this week.

Does this mean that I agree with Jeff’s opposition to my bill? Of course not. I will continue supporting equal protection for all unborn babies, regardless of their age or location.

I would ask my fellow abolitionists to remain respectful in their passionate disagreement with Representative Leach, and I would ask Representative Leach to respect the principled stand that abolitionists like myself are taking.

This is a commentary submitted and published with the author’s permission. If you wish to submit a commentary to Texas Scorecard, please submit your article to submission@texasscorecard.com.

Tony Tinderholt

State Representative Tony Tinderholt is a father, veteran, and conservative Republican from House District 94.

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