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Under the current estimate, the program helps more than 150,000 Texas women every year, regardless of the circumstances, by providing the tools necessary to raise their children. Since 2006, this program has been critical to helping women across the state receive access to essential services, such as maternal healthcare, parenting classes, and financial aid during pregnancy for up to three years after the child's birth. The Legislature allocated $100 million annually to the Alternatives to Abortion program. While Texas prides itself in maintaining a conservative budget with minimal spending, this year's budget has seen massive successes in funding for maternal, pro-life care to help women in all situations during their pregnancy. Being pro-life is about finding ways to save the life of the unborn, protecting the health of the mother, and improving the quality of life for newborn babies. Taking the life of an innocent child never can be the answer. When faced with this overwhelming situation, it can be challenging for some to understand why women should not look to abort. Pregnancy, especially an unplanned pregnancy, can be terrifying.
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For some women, motherhood is not an option. Sometimes, motherhood can come sooner than expected.Ī recent federal study suggested that more than 3 million pregnancies annually in the United States are unplanned. This legislation will help curb maternal mortality rates and provide women with safe healthcare options during and after pregnancy. While that may seem like a step backward, the six-month extension still makes Texas one of only a handful of states offering postpartum coverage past the two-month window.
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As the bill made its way through the Senate, the extended benefits were lowered to six months. I have found many people mistake being "pro-life" for just being "pro-birth." That line of thinking undercuts the overall progress the state of Texas has made in improving life before and after birth.ĭuring the 87th legislative regular session, the Texas House of Representatives passed HB 133, which extended the benefits of Medicaid and the Healthy Texas Women program from two months to a year for mothers who have just delivered a child. While SB 8 has received the bulk of both praise and criticism in the political arena, not much has been mentioned of the other "pro-life" victories that were authored to protect not just unborn Texans but their mothers, fathers and families. This past session, the Legislature passed, and I co-authored, Senate Bill 8, also known as the “Texas Heartbeat Act.” This legislation protects unborn babies from abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected (generally six weeks into the pregnancy) and provides civil penalties of $10,000 as a consequence for violating this law. An unborn child is the purest form of life there is and being "pro-life" means defending this precious life in any way possible. It is a feeling of joy and pride that cannot be described. Like many of the mothers and fathers I represent, I remember holding each of my children, for the first time – and viewing the first sonogram. While the viewing of a calf heartbeat is awesome, how much more incredible is the heartbeat of an unborn child. As I view the monitor on a steady stream of bovine females traversing the chute, sometimes cowboys and cowgirls take a quick break to gather around to witness this “beating heart” miracle. The most amazing thing to see is the heartbeat of an unborn calf and witness the beauty of God’s creation. As a veterinarian, one of my favorite jobs is early pregnancy diagnosis using ultrasound. Our ranching business is focused on beef heifer development and reproduction.