A Texas Legislative Session Without An Abortion Fight? Unlikely. | By The Texas Tribune

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By: Marissa Evans

Joe Pojman, executive director for the Texas Alliance for Life, acknowledged that Texas legislators are “much more sober” on anti-abortion bills this session, in part given the 2018 midterm elections. Democrats flipped 12 seats in the Texas House in the midterms, marking the biggest shift in the lower chamber since the 2010 election cycle. Given their narrower margin, Republican legislators in the majority “want to make sure that the time that is available for social issues involving abortion is very well spent,” Pojman said.

“No one is attributing the loss of Republicans to their support for the [abortion] issue,” Pojman said. “Nevertheless, I want to make sure the bills that are debated are going to have wide support among the public and voters in particular, and I think that will be the case.”

Can pro-life state constitutional amendments help end abortion? | Christian Post Reporter

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By: Michael Gryboski

Paul Linton, an attorney who formerly served as general counsel for Americans United for Life, told CP that he found the Alabama and West Virginia amendment vote results “very encouraging.”

“Other states will likely consider similar measures, particularly Iowa, where a one-sentence neutrality amendment has already been introduced, and Kansas, in the event the state supreme court recognizes a right to abortion,” Linton said.

When asked how effective pro-life state amendments could be in banning abortion, Linton responded that he believed it “would depend upon the precise language of the amendment.”

“I do not think that state constitutional amendments are typically used to define and punish criminal conduct, which is more a matter for the legislatures to decide,” he explained.

“On the other hand, a strong statement of pro-life principle in a state constitution may act as a restraint on a legislature enacting a ‘liberalized’ abortion law.”

Linton referenced “neutrality amendments” as an example, which state that the constitution does not protect the right to an abortion, noting that they “would enable states to enforce pre-Roe laws prohibiting abortions” or possibly “to enact new laws prohibiting abortion.”

The ‘Fetal Heartbeat’ Bill Has 57 Authors. All but 3 of them Are Men. | Texas Observer

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By: Vicky Camarillo

But anti-abortion groups Texas Alliance for Life and the more hardline Texas Right to Life aren’t throwing their full support behind HB 1500. Joe Pojman, director of Texas Alliance for Life, said while he’s excited about the number of lawmakers signing on, his group is not recommending that the Legislature pass it. “We’re just recommending bills that have a reasonable chance of sustaining a federal court challenge,” Pojman said.

PRO-LIFE TX pro-lifer predicts state’s laws will survive courts | One News Now

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By: Charlie Butts

Joe Pojman of Texas Alliance for Life tells OneNewsNow the laws are common-sense measures intended to protect both women and pre-born babies, such as requiring that only doctors can perform abortions; parental consent for pre-teen girls; and health codes for sterilizing surgical tools.

The hearing was held before federal Judge Lee Yeakel, who has not been friendly towards restrictive abortion laws and is expected to rule against Texas on many of its laws.

“We expect that the attorney general of Texas will appeal the case to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which will give a very fair hearing and will uphold the constitutionality of all of our regulations,” Pojman predicts.

That is likely, he adds, because the U.S. Supreme Court has already upheld many of them.

Could having Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court affect abortion laws in Texas? | The Dallas Morning News

By: Brianna Stone

It would take five Supreme Court votes to overturn the ruling. Kavanaugh could be the fifth, though Texas Alliance for Life director Joe Pojman said he doesn’t believe Roe will be overturned.

“But there is a good chance, if other questions came before the Supreme Court, Kavanaugh could help us prevail on issues we have not in the past,” Pojman said.

In 2016, the Supreme Court struck down a Texas law that would require abortion clinics to meet surgical-center standards and require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.

Senate Bill 8, the major abortion bill of last year’s legislative session, is still being challenged in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The law would require fetal remains from abortions and miscarriages to be cremated or buried and outlaw a common second-trimester procedure, dilation and evacuation, which abortion opponents refer to as as “dismemberment” abortion.

Pojman said he believes Kavanaugh could help uphold these laws if they come before the Supreme Court.

“We don’t expect Roe to be overturned anytime soon, but we hope that sometime in the future the precedent will change to protect unborn children,” Pojman said.