The McLennan County Republican Women luncheon on Tuesday featured several speakers, including a former Planned Parenthood Clinic Director and now pro-life advocate Abby Johnson.
"I knew that during that abortion procedure I had seen life, humanity in the womb and that if that were true then I had to step out and begin to defend that life,” Johnson said.
The mother of five who was the clinic director for Planned Parenthood in Bryan claimed the organization wanted to increase its profits from abortions. News Channel 25 reached out of the Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast but has not received a comment about her remarks.
Johnson who said she worked for Planned Parenthood for eight years also briefed the room about the legislative efforts and successes that pro-life advocates have pushed for in Texas.
Johnson said this legislative session there is a proposed bill to ban the sale and research of fetal tissue from elective abortions partial-birth abortions.
"We have a reason to believe they're still taking place in Texas. Now we will be able to leverage criminal and civil penalties against providers, if they are participating in partial birth abortions," Johnson said.
However, pro-choice advocates, such as NARAL Pro-choice Texas, are hoping for three bills, which have a scheduled hearing on Wednesday for the Senate Committee of Health and Human Services.
Senate Bill 8, prohibits partial-birth abortions and bans the donation of human fetal tissue from abortions for research.
Senate Bill 258, would require women to sign a form to dispose of her fetal remains, which would be by burying them or cremating them.
Senate Bill 415, would not allow an abortion that uses clamps, grasping forceps, tongs, scissors, or similar instrument to be performed.
The draft testimony from NARAL Pro-choice states:
“The bill bans the safest medical procedure for some patients and stands in the way of doctors’ ability to provide the safest care or their patients, even going so far as to dictate medical procedures that aren’t aligned with medical training and practice.”
Another topic discussed during the meeting was the reopening of an abortion clinic in Waco. Planned Parenthood said in an email it has received an abortion license for the Ross Avenue Health Center but that is only one step in the process.
“Services are expected to resume in 2017 but there isn’t a timeline for which month or day those services will be restored yet,” the statement said.
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