AUSTIN – On the south steps of the Texas Capitol today, Governor Greg Abbott spoke to a crowd of thousands of pro-life activists, who were there to rally for the lives of the unborn.
“All of us here today are united by the truth that our creator endowed us with the right to life. There is no freedom more precious than life itself,” Governor Abbott said.
Governor Abbott noted that, “Every single year tens of millions of children lose their lives before they are even born. This loss of life is one of the greatest tragedies of our time. We can either accept this tragedy as part of our society or we can fight to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Each of you have chosen to fight and I cannot tell you how proud I am to join you in this fight to uphold the sanctity of life.”
Governor Abbott said he was proud of the progress Texas had made in protecting life saying, “This time last year, I promised you that Texas would pass meaningful measures to ensure that the life of every child would be spared from the ravages of abortion. Thanks to the groundswell of grassroots support from advocates like you, we passed sweeping laws to do exactly that.”
He continued, “We passed a law banning mail-order abortion drugs in Texas and preventing physicians from providing abortion drugs to women who are more than 7 weeks pregnant. Not only that, but together we passed the Heartbeat Bill, banning abortions in Texas the moment a baby’s heartbeat begins. I also signed a bill so that the moment Roe v. Wade is overturned, abortions will be banned in the Lone Star State.”
Governor Abbott also detailed the alternatives to abortion that Texas has enacted saying, “Just as important are our efforts to support expectant mother in need in Texas and to give them the necessary resources so that they can choose life for their child. That’s why I’m proud that Texas has invested more than $100 million over the next biennium toward our Alternatives to Abortion program to provide support to women in need.”
Then, Governor Abbott thanked the crowd of thousands for the their tireless efforts to fight for life saying, “None of this would have been possible without the thousands of pro-life advocates here today. You are on the front lines of this fight every single day. You are giving a voice to the voiceless, and you are helping give the innocent the chance at life that they deserve. I want to thank all of you for leading the way to create a culture of life in Texas and I promise you this, as long as I am Governor, of this great state, Texas will always fight for the unborn and save them from the ravages of abortion.”
Also speaking at the “Texas Rally for Life” were Dr. Joe Pojman, Executive Director of Texas Alliance for Life, Bishop Joe Vasquez, Brooke Rizuto of Students for Life of America, and others committed to the pro-life cause.
