Our reproductive rights are now in the hands of an anti-choice White House and an anti-choice majority in the U.S. Congress and the Texas Legislature. As the President anticipates his appointments to the Supreme Court who will overturn Roe v Wade, the Texas Legislature pushes ahead on a radical anti-choice agenda.

Religious conservatives view the November 2002 election as a referendum on abortion, and believe that the same majority that elected anti-choice candidates will support their anti-choice agenda.

Let them know that they are wrong. Join the fight for your right to choose.

An Alternative Path

TARAL, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization and the political arm of the pro-choice movement in Texas, is working to fight attempts to limit reproductive rights. TARAL's mission is to recruit, develop, and sustain a constituency that uses the political process to promote public health policies that guarantee every woman access to the full range of reproductive healthcare.

You can get talking points on all of the legislation listed below.


• TARAL is working to support the following bill to expand reproductive rights:


HB 1381- Filed by Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston), this bill enables Texas women  to access emergency contraception (EC) pills directly through their pharmacists.  This means that Texas women can "back up their birth control" pills with EC in case they've had unprotected sex or their contraception has failed.  Emergency contraception is an increased dose of regular birth control pills that is highly effective in pregnancy prevention.  It should NOT be confused with RU-486 or the abortion pill that terminates a pregnancy.


• TARAL is also working to fight the following bills which would limit a woman's right to choose:


HB 15- Filed by Rep. Frank Corte (R-San Antonio), this omnibus anti-abortion bill attempts to limit reproductive rights by instituting:

• “informed consent,” which requires women seeking abortions to receive state-mandated information including “realistic” color photos of the fetus at 2-week increments and information about links between abortion and breast cancer.
  a 24 hour waiting period before a woman can obtain an abortion.
  
• a requirement that abortions for 16+ weeks be performed at an ambulatory surgical center or hospital licensed to perform the abortion.
  
• changes the abortion facility licensing statutes to require a provider performing more than 10 procedures a week or 100 procedures a month to be licensed by the Texas Department of Health.
  

HB 143- Filed by Rep. Suzanna Hupp (R-Lampassas), this would revise the Penal Code Relating to criminal and civil liability for causing injury to a pregnant woman.

HB 246/SB 319- Filed by Rep. Ray Allen (R-Grand Prairie) and Sen. Kenneth Armbrister (D-Victoria), this bill amends both the Civil Practice and Remedies Code and the Penal Code to expand the definition of “individual” and “death” to include “unborn child.” In addition:

• “unborn child” is further defined as a being from the moment of fertilization
  
• “death” includes “for an individual, who is an unborn child, the failure to be born alive”
  

HB 569- Filed by Rep. Leo Berman (R-Tyler), this bill requires abortion providers to inform women seeking abortions beyond 20 weeks of gestation about the pain the fetus would experience during abortion. Also requires the administration of an anesthetic to alleviate “fetal pain.” Classifies failure to administer “fetal pain” counseling as a felony.

HB 945- Filed by Rep. Phil King (R-Weatherford), this bill would amend the existing parental notification laws.

• Change parental notification to parental consent.
  
• Changes the burden of proof in court proceedings from preponderance of the evidence of child abuse to clear and convincing evidence that abuse is actively occurring.
  
• Requires court proceedings to be held in the county in which the minor lives instead of any court in the state.
  

SB 331- Filed by Sen. Kenneth Brimer (R-Fort Worth), this bill would requires collection of statistical information concerning judicial bypass of parental notice of a minor’s abortion.

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Talking Points for Protecting Reproductive Rights

Find out more about Protecting Reproductive Rights