For Immediate Release: May 13, 2015

Texas Bill Targeting Minors’ Access to Abortion Fast Tracked

Austin, TX—An omnibus anti-abortion bill targeting teenagers’ access to abortion is expected to hit the Texas House floor on Wednesday after being placed on the major state calendar, a fast-track calendar.

“The anti-choice zealots in the Texas Legislature are once again prioritizing restrictions on abortion access over policies that improve the everyday life of Texans,” Heather Busby, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, said. “This time, the Legislature is playing politics with abused and neglected teenagers’ lives.”

In Texas, parental consent is required for a minor to get an abortion. If involving a parent is not possible or puts the teenager in danger, they can get a judge’s order, called judicial bypass.

HB 3994, by Rep. Geanie Morrison (R-Victoria) would alter the judicial bypass process in multiple ways, making the process overly burdensome, and, for many teenagers, impossible to attain. The bill also requires all abortion patients show a government-issued I.D. at the clinic, which disproportionately affects low-income Texans of all ages.

Busby said the current judicial bypass process works and is a safety net for abused and neglected teenagers.

“When the adults in a teenager’s life have failed or abandoned her, the bypass process serves as a safety net, ensuring the support and guidance of stable adults and protection from further abuse,” Busby said. “Rep. Morrison’s bill would dismantle this safety net and endanger vulnerable teenagers.”

Delma Limones, an advocate for domestic violence survivors, said she knows how Morrison’s bill would hurt vulnerable teenagers not only from her advocacy experience, but also from personal experience.

Limones left home at seventeen after she told her mother she was being sexually abused and her mother responded by threatening to make her face her abuser in person.

“I had to leave home for my physical and emotional safety,” Limones said. “The young people who need the judicial bypass process have stories like mine; they cannot reach out to their parents or guardians without being put in danger.”

Multiple organizations, including the National Association of Social Workers have spoken out against Morrison’s bill.

“Public policies must support a woman’s authority over her sexual life and reproductive capacity.” Will Francis, Government Relations Director for the National Association of Social Workers, said. “When safety or personal issues require a judicial bypass, a teenager should have the right to petition the court without any needless restrictions or barriers.”

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Contact: Zoey Lichtenheld, zoey@prochoicetexas.org, o: (512) 462-1661, m: (512) 659-8650