Abortion remains a flashpoint in the Democratic race for governor | San Antonio Express News

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By: Peggy Fikac

On the anti-abortion side, White’s declaration that he would defend women’s right to abortion drew a rebuke from executive director Joe Pojman of the Texas Alliance for Life.

Pojman accused the Democratic Party of pressuring White “to renounce his pro-life values.”

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“We sincerely hope that Mr. White will untangle himself and return to his original position of support for the unborn, and offer Democrat voters a true pro-life option in this runoff,” Pojman said in a statement.

Sparks fly in Democratic gubernatorial runoff debate | Houston Chronicle

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By: Mike Ward

Earlier Friday, a war of words had erupted over White’s position on abortion, after a prominent Texas pro-life group usually aligned with Republicans blasted the Texas Democratic Party for pressuring White to “renounce his pro-life values” to run as a Democrat.

“(White’s) previously stated stance of being ‘deeply, personally’ pro-life and his position as an elder of a Houston church that is part of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) gave us hope that the Democratic Party would be open to a pro-life candidate,” said Joe Pojman, executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life.

“As an elder in a PCA church, Mr. White was tasked with upholding the Church’s teachings, which include opposing abortion in all forms. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.”

The Houston Chronicle reported that White had resigned his position as an elder as a result of the controversy over his public pro-choice position as a candidate.

“For too long, the Democratic Party of Texas has abandoned Texans who believe in defending the sanctity of life,” Pojman said. “They have turned the abortion debate into a litmus test and excluded candidates who seek to bring a pro-life voice into the party, and thus have forced Mr. White to abandon his pro-life position.”

White rejected Pojman’s call to be pro-life.

Pro-life group blasts Dems for ‘pressuring’ White on abortion | Houston Chronicle

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By: Mike Ward

In an unexpected twist, a prominent Texas pro-life group usually aligned with Republicans is blasting the state Democratic Party and taking up for one of the two Democrats in a May 22 runoff for governor.

Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, in a Friday statement blasted the party for pressuring one of the two runoff candidates, Andrew White, “to renounce his pro-life values” and embrace abortion rights.

“As we approach the May 22 runoff election, Texas Alliance for Life is discouraged that the Texas Democratic Party has pressured Andrew White to renounce his pro-life values and embrace Roe v. Wade,” read the statement.

The remarks were made public just hours before White, a Houston entrepreneur, and former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez were set for their only primary runoff debate in Austin.
“(White’s) previously-stated stance of being ‘deeply, personally’ pro-life and his position as an elder of a Houston church that is part of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) gave us hope that the Democratic Party would be open to a pro-life candidate,” Pojman’s statement reads.

“As an elder in a PCA church, Mr. White was tasked with upholding the Church’s teachings, which include opposing abortion in all forms. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.”

The Houston Chronicle reported that White had resigned his position as an elder as a result of the controversy over his public pro-choice position as a candidate.

“For too long, the Democratic Party of Texas has abandoned Texans who believe in defending the sanctity of life,” Pojman said. “They have turned the abortion debate into a litmus test and excluded candidates who seek to bring a pro-life voice into the party, and thus have forced Mr. White to abandon his pro-life position.

“We sincerely hope that Mr. White will untangle himself and return to his original position of support for the unborn, and offer Democrat voters a true pro-life option in this runoff.”

Deep Divisions in Texas’ Powerful Anti-Choice Movement | Austin Chronicle

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By: Mary Tuma

Joe Pojman, who heads the TAL, says tensions between the two groups date back years, culminating in a “very bitter disagreement” in 2013 over end-of-life care, a policy both groups spend time focusing on when not lobbying for anti-choice bills. Of course, the groups share a central mission of advancing legislation that limits or ends abortion, but even with that shared anti-choice goal in a deeply red state, they’ve found reason to diverge. The difference largely lies in TRL’s opposition of any exceptions, however narrow, to abortion care, and TAL’s aversion to laws that are likely to be struck down by the courts.

The groups’ divisions grew during the 2017 session: While TRL adamantly supported a ban on dilation and evacuation (D&E) abortion, performed in the second trimester, TAL labeled the bill “reckless” because it wouldn’t stand constitutional muster. (Indeed, U.S. Federal Judge Lee Yeakel ruled against the law in November, calling it an unconstitutional “undue burden” on Texas women.) An even less humane amendment by Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, attached to package anti-choice law SB 8 would have removed an exception to the state’s 20-week abortion ban that allows the procedure when the fetus has a severe abnormality (which could mean a stillbirth). TRL supported the measure while Pojman’s group didn’t, due again to its low likelihood of passing through the courts. The amendment proved too radical even for conservative politicians and failed to pass. Repub­lic­an Burkett said the amendment “goes one step too far” while Rep. Byron Cook, R-Cor­si­cana, urged colleagues to vote against the proposal, saying it shows we are “willing to play God with people’s lives.” Both candidates were torched by TRL.

A Rift in Texas’s Anti-abortion Movement | The Progressive

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By: James Jeffrey

Despite the public rift, those involved in the anti-abortion movement remain confident it will not be impeded in the long-term.

“The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops has proved itself one of the most effective organisation at promoting pro-life legislation,” says Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, a pro-life organization that works closely with the Catholic Church. “The pro-life position will continue to make gains in the Legislature.”

Pojman argues that if the U.S. Supreme Court allows states to decide on abortion, there is enough political muscle to pass a ban in Texas.

“Texas has a very strong Republican party and an electorate that supports it and is pro-life, which has been decades in the making,” he says. “Thirty years ago, it was very different.”

Catholic Church cuts ties with Texas’s largest pro-life group | France 24

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By: James JEFFREY

“The Catholic Church does not tell people which candidates or political parties they should support,” Osman says. “The bishops encourage Catholics to form their consciences in accord with Catholic teaching and then use their prudential judgement to engage in the body politic and make sound moral decisions.”

Anti-abortion momentum will continue

Texas’s Governor Gregory Wayne who is Catholic has said he will keep Texas the most pro-life state in America.

“The pro-life position will continue to make gains in the Legislature,” Pojman says, adding that due to the strength of pro-life Republican politicians there, if the US Supreme Court passes a resolution allowing states to decide on abortion there is enough political muscle to ban abortion in Texas.

“Why is Texas so prominent in the anti-abortion movement? I wish I knew and could then bottle it up and sell it to the rest of the country,” Pojman says.