As the 2017 Legislature winds to a close, pro life lawmakers have succeeded in getting a strong anti abortion bill approved in the House, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
The measure, from North Texas Republican Giovanni Capriglione (R-Grapevine) imposes strict reporting requirements on all facilities performing abortions, from Planned Parenthood clinics to hospitals.
"The data we are getting is not right, and there are no penalties for not providing it," Capriglione said.
Democrats were unable to kill the bill using a variety of parliamentary tricks. When a bill is sidelined, even briefly, with barely two weeks left, it generally means it is dead for the session.
Kathy Miller of the Texas Freedom Network said this is just another back door effort to try to halt abortion.
"Requiring enhanced reporting for abortion providers, in order to promote the myth, the lie, that abortion isn't safe," Miller said.She says the latest way that pro life groups have tried to stop abortions, after courts blocked the 2013 effort to shut down abortion clinics, is to place barriers in front of women seeking abortion.
They cite the 'fetal remains bill,' which is still pending in the Legislture, which would require all aborted fetuses, even ones which are so small that they can barely be seen, to be buried or cremated.
Miller says pro life groups will try to selectively pick out statistics provided by abortion clinics to try to warn women that abortion is not safe. Pro choice groups point to the use of Pennsyvlania abortion butcher Kermit Gosnell as an example of 'normal abortion practices'.
Opponents of the bill also claim it requires the clinics to provide highly personal and unrelated information, like the timing and status of the woman's last menstrual cycle before she discovered she was pregnant.The bill is expected to be approved by the Senate.
IMAGE: GETTY