The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is attempting to conceal information related to an abortion research project presentation to its Education Research Advisory Board.
At its June 12 meeting, the advisory board heard a presentation from Daniel Marthey, a professor in the Texas A&M School of Public Health. Marthey’s presentation was entitled “Evaluating School Supports for Reproductive Health & Parenting Students: Evidence from Abortion Clinic Closures.”
During the presentation, Marthey stated his objective was “to be able to support the development of policies that mitigate the impact of Dobbs on health and social well-being.” Dobbs is the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned the controversial Roe v. Wade decision, which had legalized abortion nationally. Marthey’s proposal sought to examine the relationship between abortion facility access and a series of economic and educational outcomes.
Shortly thereafter, Texas Scorecard submitted an open records request for information related to this presentation and communications with Professor Marthey, as well as other research presentations made to the board that day.
The coordinating board appealed our request to the attorney general’s office. The coordinating board claims some of the requested information is subject to attorney-client privilege and contains third-party proprietary information.
The members of the board are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate.
Neither Gov. Greg Abbott’s office nor Texas A&M replied to requests for comment.
