Committee Voted No

Whereas, the 2020 Platform of the Republican Party of Texas asserts that "all innocent human life must be respected and safeguarded from fertilization to natural death; therefore, the unborn, the aged, and the physically or mentally challenged have a fundamental individual right to life, which cannot be infringed" (Plank 328); and

Whereas, the Texas Heartbeat Act (2021) has already saved thousands of preborn children from abortion and has given Pro-Lifers a glimpse of what a post-Roe Texas will look like; and

Whereas, the Texas Legislature funding the Alternatives to Abortion program with $100 million, which provides critical social services to Texas women and expecting families; and

Whereas, the United States Supreme Court is currently considering Dobbs u Jackson Women's

Health Organization over Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban and whether to overturn Roe v.

Wade which would return the issue of abortion policy to the states, where it belongs; and

Whereas, when Roe v. Wade is overturned Texas law will automatically prohibit all elective abortion and the state must adapt to a post-Roe world by continuing to prioritize Pro-Life policies that equip Texas women and families to choose Life; and

Whereas, the Texas State Budget wastes millions of dollars every biennium subsidizing frivolous programs and tax abatements that should be redirected and invested in equipping Texas women and their children to achieve long-lasting fiscal independence rather than generational reliance on the government;

Therefore, be it resolved that the Republican Party of County recommends the Platform and the Legislative Priorities Committees of the State Convention adopt as both a Platform Plank and Legislative Priority a call for the Texas Legislature to pass legislation building a Pro-Life, not just an abortion-free, Texas in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned. On the verge of this historic accomplishment, we recommend the following:

A. Protect and increase funding to the Alternatives to Abortion Program;

B. Ensure women have medical insurance coverage up to one year postpartum, making it safer for pregnant women to give birth in Texas;

C. Safeguard pregnant and parenting college students from discrimination ensuring access to educational opportunities, benefits, accommodations, and support services; D. Encourage pregnant-friendly businesses in Texas by offering a tax break for accommodating to workers who are pregnant or new parents;

E. Reform the adoption process to be more efficient, accessible, and affordable to streamline placement of children with loving families; and

F. Reform CPS, ensuring vulnerable