On Wednesday, Pregnancy Justice's Organizer Kendall Bentsen testified against Texas HB 1171, a dangerous bill that would appoint an attorney ad litem or guardian ad litem for a fertilized egg, embryo or fetus when Texas minors are trying to obtain an abortion through judicial bypass. Pregnancy Justice strongly opposes this bill. As our peer-reviewed research confirms, laws that assert separate rights for fertilized eggs, embryos, and fetuses provide the legal argument for subjecting women to arrest and other forms of state control because of pregnancy. Rather than further curtailing access to abortion for young women, the Texas Legislature should focus on the true threats to women and infant health, including access to quality healthcare, intimate partner violence, and maternal mortality, of which Texas ranks in the top 20% in the country.
Read the full testimony here.