With the close of the Texas GOP convention in June, delegates selected protecting life as one of the Republican priorities for next year’s legislative session.
In a committee report from convention, delegates called on lawmakers to “affirm the sanctity of every human life, created in the image of God,” articulating the need to protect life from fertilization until natural death.
The priority includes stronger penalties for abortion pill trafficking, increased penalties for offenses, and a ban on in vitro fertilization (IVF) and commercial surrogacy.
As Texas has a near total ban on abortion procedures, Republicans are now directing attention to cracking down on the abortion pill industry that illegally sends abortifacient drugs into Texas.
House Bill 7, passed last year, made distribution of abortion pills illegal in Texas, except for a few exceptions.
However, pro-abortion groups have continued shipping out-of-state pills to those looking to circumvent the law.
According to State Rep. Jeff Leach (R–Allen), the author of HB 7, as many as 20,000 to 30,000 pills are illegally mailed into Texas yearly.
The pills can cause serious harm to women, and some individuals have been accused of secretly giving them to women without their consent.
Paxton has filed lawsuits against Aid Access and a Delaware-based provider in an attempt to stay the flood of pills.
Republican delegates are seeking to protect the unborn from practices such as IVF and commercial surrogacy and are instead calling for the promotion of natural alternatives.
They specifically list Natural Procreative Technologies (NaPro) as an effective and natural way to address infertility.
Started in 1991 by Thomas W. Hilgers, M.D., NaPro has been described as “a breakthrough in women’s health” for treating the underlying causes of infertility and working in harmony with women’s reproductive health.
Republicans also called for a repeal of sections of Texas law that exclude mothers from prosecution when they commit abortion.
Supporters view this as a step to ensure equal protection under the law for the unborn, but others such as the Texas Alliance for Life voiced concerns that vulnerable women could be subject to undue charges.
As an alternative to abortion, delegates also urge in plank 215 that adoption be made more affordable and accessible for qualified families.
The next legislative session will begin January 12, 2027.
