After weeks of debate, testimonies, and rallies, we are proud to announce that the State House has passed House Bill 2 (HB2) with an overwhelming majority vote of 96-49, sending it to the State Senate where it is also expected to pass by a large margin. The eyes of the entire nation have been upon Texas for the past few weeks as pro-life Texans have continued to flood the Capitol day in and day out to show their support for HB2 and its counterpart in the State Senate, SB1. HB2 is an important step in the fight for protecting the life of countless unborn babies throughout the state and for holding abortion clinics to the same health care standards as other medical facilities.

Some facts about this bill that Democrats and the media won’t report:

  • This bill does not close abortion clinics. It does raise the standard of care requirements at abortion facilities to be the same as ambulatory surgical centers, which provide cataract surgery, ear tubes, and carpal tunnel surgery, all of which have less risk of hemorrhaging than an induced abortion. To learn more, follow us on twitter @TexasGOP or search #saferforwomen and #stand4life.
  • This bill does not ban abortions. It does ban them after 20 weeks, or 5 months of gestation and does include an exception for the life of the mother. Current law bans abortion after 28 weeks.

Thank you to all of the Members who voted for HB2, especially to Rep. Jodie Laubenberg for her leadership in authoring this bill. In the Senate, Glenn Hegar is authoring SB1, which is expected to be voted out of committee tomorrow and then debated on the Senate floor as early as Friday afternoon.

In addition to the women’s healthcare, the call of the special session included transportation funding and criminal justice reforms. The transportation bill is scheduled to be heard in committee tomorrow and the criminal justice bill is up for debate on the House floor tomorrowafternoon.

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