Amid a nationally known child abuse case and other priority family issues in Texas, conservative leaders are again calling for Gov. Greg Abbott to act.
“Texans are among the most family-oriented Americans in the country. And yet, as the woke left has ramped up its attacks on the family, Texas Republican leaders have not stepped up to the challenge,” said Terry Schilling, president of pro-family nonprofit American Principles Project. “This has left Texas families tragically vulnerable. But it doesn’t have to be this way.”
Last week, APP joined with more than 150 conservative leaders in Texas to send a public letter to Governor Greg Abbott, again highlighting untouched family and GOP priorities such as banning child gender mutilation procedures, preventing biological males from intruding on women’s collegiate sports, and requiring internet service providers to block pornographic material as a default setting.
The letter calls for Abbott to reconvene the Texas Legislature for a fourth special session to combat what they call the “woke agenda.”
While the Legislature normally meets for 140 days every other year, the governor has the power to call for special sessions throughout the Legislature’s offseason. During these sessions, the governor decides which issues will be on lawmakers’ to-do list.
Abbott and the Republican-controlled state Legislature failed to enact those family and child protections into state law last year during its regular session or three special sessions. Texas Scorecard extensively detailed those issues, such as the currently legal child mutilation practices in the state, which drew national attention with the case of 9-year-old James Younger from Dallas.
The 150 conservative leaders who signed the APP letter stressed the urgency of the matters, saying, “No less than lives and the future of our families are on the line when it comes to these three issues.”
Additionally, the letter praises both Florida’s legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis for enacting a new law that prohibits male students in public schools and colleges from competing on designated women’s sports teams and empowers female students to sue a school that violates the rule.
The Texas Legislature did approve a women’s sports-related law last year at the request of Gov. Abbott; however, the governor’s bill excluded college women from any protections and has been criticized as questionably effective.
APP urged Abbott to follow Florida’s lead.
“Gov. Abbott must act immediately to address these threats,” said Schilling. “Banning child sex changes, defending collegiate women’s sports, and protecting kids from online porn are all critical issues that have enormous support across the board. Tackling these issues would put Texas once again at the forefront of the pro-family movement. This is an incredible opportunity, and we hope Gov. Abbott will take advantage of it. Pro-family Texans expect nothing less.”
