A well-known pro-life activist has made an alarming accusation against a pro-life organization, revealing a political rift in the process.
Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood employee who turned against the organization and became a pro-life advocate, has accused Texas Alliance for Life (TAL) of working to prevent proposed pro-life legislation from receiving a hearing.
House Bill 2197 by State Rep. Brent Money (R–Greenville) was filed to amend Texas’ penal code to treat all abortion-related deaths as homicide. It was originally scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday, April 22, in the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.
Shortly before the scheduled hearing, Chairman John Smithee (R–Amarillo) removed it from the hearing agenda. Planned Parenthood praised this move.
Now, Johnson has accused TAL of threatening to pull its endorsement of Smithee if he gave HB 2197 a hearing.
In an interview with Allie Beth Stucky, Johnson stated: “That happened because one of the largest pro-life groups in the state, Texas Alliance for Life, which is supposedly a pro-life group, demanded and put pressure on John Smithee, and said, ‘you better pull this bill.’”
Johnson also charged TAL with misrepresenting the proposed legislation.
Her public denunciation of TAL marks a rupture in a previously close partnership. She was previously a regular speaker at TAL events, including its 2015 and 2010 fundraising galas.
While Johnson’s break with TAL is new, accusations of this nature are not.
In 2017, TAL aligned itself with NARAL, a pro-abortion advocacy group, to oppose a ban on dismemberment abortion. Bills backed by TAL often contain loopholes, a phenomenon the Texas Observer has noted.
While there is a small chance Money’s bill could be revived, either as an amendment or a provision in a conference report, House Bill 2197 is dead in committee.
When asked for comment, TAL referred Texas Scorecard back to previous statements on HB 2197.
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