Women’s health and reproductive-rights advocates haven’t had much legislative clout since Ann Richards’ days, but this session Democratic committee chairs who might block the nastiest bills have been replaced by Republicans. To add insult to jeopardy, all nine members of the House State Affairs Committee, which considers much of this legislation, are men.
Several of the most poisonous pending bills involve abortion, but the budget committees (and related bills) are also proposing deep cuts to health and human services, including key women’s programs. SB 1862 (Teel Bivins, R-Amarillo) would kill all funding for breast and cervical screening, services for women and babies with high-risk health conditions, prenatal care through Medicaid, and the children’s health-insurance program. The bill has inspired an April 15 Capitol rally against it and other anti-women’s rights legislation.
San Antonio Republican Rep. Frank Corte’s HB 15 (passed by State Affairs Tuesday) would require doctors to show abortion patients graphic images of fetuses and information describing a (scientifically discredited) link between abortion and breast cancer. It would also impose a 24-hour waiting period, and abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy would be performed at ambulatory surgical centers or specially licensed hospitals — facilities which exist in very few Texas counties.
HB 246 (Ray Allen, R-Grand Prairie, and heavily co-sponsored) defines life as beginning at fertilization and grants zygotes and embryos full personhood. Allen contends his bill protects women from violence (abortion is explicitly allowed), but pro-choicers prefer HB 1589 (Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, Rodriguez, D-Austin) that protects pregnant women without politicizing the status of the fetus.
Descending to barbarism, HB 1700 (Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood) would force women convicted of child abuse involving alcohol, drugs, and other substances to take contraception — even without their cooperation. HB 2054 (Wayne Christian, R-Center) cruelly takes the other limits on abortion full circle — it would forbid additional financial benefits to women who give birth while receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (since the amount of money involved is negligible, the bill has a punitive effect only, and that on the children). HB 945 (Phil King, R-Weatherford) hardens parental notification laws by mandating that young women seeking abortions receive parental consent. And finally, an appropriations rider to the House budget bill, authored by Rep. Arlene Wohlgemuth, R-Burleson, prohibits any budgeted funds — state or federal — from being granted to any entity (e.g., Planned Parenthood) if it or its affiliates provide abortions, refer or counsel for abortion services, or advocate for the legality or accessibility of elective abortion. The rider was tabled, but Wohlgemuth still can offer it — and no doubt other outrages — on the House floor.
To fight this session’s extensive and draconian agenda, women’s organizations are working to form a statewide Texas Women’s Coalition, with a listserv (www.women-law.org/mailman/listinfo/runawaytrainlist ) to forward action alerts over the crucial next few weeks.
This article appears in April 11 • 2003.