The divide in Texas over the future of abortions continues to grow, Newsradio 1200 WOAI reports.
The right to an abortion is one of the key issues being debated at the Texas Republican Convention, which is being held this week in San Antonio. Although the state already has some of the most stringent rules in the country, activists in the party want to push the extreme.
"We call upon the Texas Legislature to enact legislation stopping the murder of preborn children; and to ignore and refuse to enforce any and all federal statutes, regulations, executive orders, and court rulings, which would deprive a preborn child of the right to life," the party platform, which is being voted on, reads.
Joe Pojman, head of Texas Right to Life, says this is the most pro-life republican convention he has seen in nearly two-decades.
"When I was first here, Planned Parenthood was represented. NARAL Pro-Choice Texas was represented. They're not here at all," he explains.
This comes as a coalition of pro-choice groups have filed suit against Texas, arguing that the current set of abortion laws unnecessarily extend the length of abortion appointments, burden abortion providers, and deny Texans the best medical information and care
Amy Hagstrom-Miller with Whole Women's health is leading the suit.
"When politicians push abortion out of reach, it interferes with our freedom to control our decisions and our futures," she tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI.
The lawsuit challenges Texas laws that single out abortion providers for regulatory requirements that are different and more burdensome than those governing other healthcare providers. The suit is also critical of requirements that doctors use state-mandated information about abortions that they feel is biased.
The lawsuit also challenges the University of Texas System’s refusal to grant students credit for completing field placements or internships with organizations that facilitate abortion access.
"This amazing. This is powerful," Hagstrom-Miller says. "And, once again, we are on the right side of history."