Political Updates
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Laurie Felker Jones WEDNESDAY May 30, 2007 Tel. 512-462-1661 THE 80TH SESSION MAINTAINS STATUS QUO FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH Prevention First initiatives were heard and both the House and Senate; anti-choice measures failed to pass. AUSTIN – The 80th Legislative Session was not able to pass any significant changes for women's health in Texas. While no anti-choice measures passed the legislature, no proactive measures to improve women’s health were passed either. However, HB 1842, the Texas Prevention First Act moved further through the legislative process than any similar measure in recent memory. "Commonsense Texans should thank their legislators who worked hard to protect and promote women's health in Texas. Remarkably, while something as universal as women's health can often-times lead to heated political debates, cooler heads prevailed" remarked Sara Cleveland, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas. NARAL Pro-Choice Texas worked diligently this session to rally support amongst legislators, health care providers and commonsense Texans for bills containing Prevention First solutions to reduce unintended pregnancies and therefore the need for abortion care. Cleveland continued "The opportunity for commonsense Texans and lawmakers to join together to improve women’s health, prevent unintended pregnancies and address the need for abortion care in Texas is before us. It's unfortunate that some legislators choose to focus their efforts to address women's health on extreme political challenges that are intended to divide this state." While most anti-choice bills did not make it through the committee process, several extreme anti-choice bills including SB 785, the Medical Records Invasion Act , and SB 920, the Mandatory Ultrasound Viewing bill, were up for consideration until the 11th hour at the capitol with many speculating they were caught up in a possible Speaker's race. Furthermore, Cleveland stated, “While nothing ‘bad’ happened for women’s health, nothing ‘good’ happened either. The state of Texas stills subsidizes Crisis Pregnancies Centers (biased counseling centers) with $5 million in taxpayer funds that could prevent unintended pregnancies or provide women with child-care assistance. And, Texas stills makes a failing grade when it comes to women’s health; that needs to change.” Bills relating to women's health by the numbers: - 41 choice-related bills were filed;
- 16 pro-choice bills were supported by women's health groups;
- 15 anti-choice bills were opposed by women's health groups;
- 2 republican co-authors on HB 1842 the Texas Prevention First Act.
In regard to women's health, Texas ranks: 50th, dead last, of Non-Elderly Women with Health Insurance 35th in Access to Adequate Prenatal Care - 44th in Women Aged 40+ Who Receive Mammograms
- 47th of Women Aged 18+ Who Receive Pap Smears
- 45th in Access to Family Planning
The Prevention First initiatives are crucial given that: - 80 percent of Texans support an increase in funding for family planning;
- 90 percent of Texans support teaching comprehensive sex education in public schools;
- Texas has the nation’s highest teen pregnancy rate; and
- Texas funds one out of every two births in the state through Medicaid—that’s $8,500 per pregnancy compared to an annual cost of $170 per woman for a preventive well-woman exam and year of contraceptives.
### | 
