As champions of the right to live like the great state of Texas potentially face an uphill battle against liberal ideologies, the Texas Supreme Court handed a quiet yet impactful victory to conservatives nationwide last Friday. The court unyieldingly dismissed a legal challenge seeking to expand the right to abortion in Texas.
Current Texas law, despite opposition from certain groups, does not permit a woman to abort her unborn child solely based on an abnormal fetal diagnosis. A group of 20 women, favoring the policy of unrestricted abortions, marched into the courtroom in March this year. They raised their objection against the existing regulation, which they claimed was too narrow. These women claimed that this state’s policy on abortion was interfering with their right to seek medical care for what they termed as “complicated pregnancies”.
In August 2023, there was a minor setback when a judge in Travis County mandated a temporary injunction permitting Texans, with intricate pregnancies, to go ahead with an abortion if their doctor arrived at a ‘good faith judgment’ stating it was necessary. However, the Supreme Court ruling last week overruled this injunction, reaffirming the state’s commitment to protect life, including the lives of unborn babies.
The court stated, “Texas law permits a life-saving abortion”, with the objective not to deny medical intervention when the woman’s life-threatening condition calls for it, but rather to uphold the sanctity of life. Ignoring this rationale, these women were pushy about the “right” to terminate pregnancies if their unborn child didn’t meet their definition of “perfection.”
The case leading the charge for revised laws was Amanda Zurawski. Her plea for an abortion was rejected in Texas as her 18-week-old unborn daughter Willow had a beating heart. After developing sepsis, Zurawski eventually faced permanent physical injury. However, the Court emphasized Zurawski’s experience wasn’t the intent of the existing laws.
Under Texas laws, exceptions are available when mothers face imminent life dangers or potential fertility risks. The law doesn’t allow the killing of babies based on non-fatal diagnoses such as Down syndrome, cleft lip or dwarfism.
Pro-life groups celebrated this landmark verdict, rightly terming it a “victory.” The president of SBA Pro-Life America emphasized how the Texas law is steadfast in protecting the life of unborn children and mothers in emergencies.
No woman should ever suffer due to lack of care when doctors can intervene to prevent harm. Bad actors who refuse to provide lifesaving treatment simply ignore the Hippocratic oath. Spreading misinformation around women’s right to emergency care in the guise of promoting abortion is morally reprehensible.
This ruling brings one fact to the surface. It’s misinformation that poses the greatest harm to women’s lives. Kudos to the Texas Supreme Court for dismissing political propaganda and prioritizing the protection of life.
