This week, State Representative Jeff Cason (R–Bedford) announced his filing of House Bill 2976, the Death Certificates for Aborted Babies Act. Under this bill, every child aborted in Texas would be recorded and documented with a fetal death certificate, regardless of the weight or time of gestation.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, a fetal death certificate must be filed only in cases in which the fetus weighs more than 350 grams or is at a gestation of more than 20 weeks and is stillborn.

In Texas, the CDC data shows an average of 2,100 fetal deaths and 2,300 infant deaths per year, while reported abortions have averaged 55,000 annual deaths. The national average shows 24,000 stillbirths a year, which is still less than half of the total reported abortions in Texas.

“Each year, over 55,000 babies are killed by abortion in the State of Texas. Even though these preborn babies are, by all scientific definitions, living humans, current Texas law does not require a death certificate to be filed upon the elective termination of their life,” Cason said. “If we are to respect the sanctity of human life, then it is imperative that every human being, regardless of their size, be treated just as any other human.”

“Every aborted baby in Texas should receive the respect they deserve through a formal death certificate—a certificate that is expected for any other Texan,” Cason concluded.

Iris Poole

Iris Poole is a 2021 Texas Scorecard Fellow from Round Rock. She is freedom-loving and had an early interest in liberty and politics.

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