With just few months before the start of the 2017 legislative session, Gov. Greg Abbott is promoting his plan to decrease abortions. Abbott laid out a section of his legislative agenda at the annual Texas Alliance for Life benefit gala in Austin.
Similar to his 2015 legislative directive to Texas lawmakers, Abbott is once again focusing on the topic of abortion and one of his initiatives he’d like to see passed in 2017 is an effort that would ban all abortion facilities from collecting and donating fetal tissue. The initiative follows a series of heavily edited online videos featuring Planned Parenthood executives discussing the topic and a state investigation.
“The sale or transfer of fetal tissue by an abortion clinic must be criminalized in the State of Texas," Abbott says.
The state’s investigation cleared Planned Parenthood of any wrongdoing; the governor would also like to completely eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood.
Another initiative Abbott is pushing to have passed this session is an effort to increase state adoption rates.
“Another way we can truly advance the pro-life agenda is to do more to aid in adoption services and support the heroic women that make the choice to give a child up for adoption," Abbott explains.
Abbott promised an audience of state lawmakers and anti-abortion activist that after this session Texas will be the strongest anti-abortion state in the country.
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