317 Texas Women Harmed by Abortion File Brief Supporting Enforcement of Texas' Informed Consent Law
by Staff
November 21, 2011
WASHINGTON, (christiansunite.com) -- Today the Jubilee Campaign's Law of Life Project, along with two other public interest legal organizations, the Justice Foundation and the United States Justice Foundation, applauded the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal's Order, over the opposition of Texas abortion providers, permitting them to file their "friend of the court" brief on behalf of 317 Texas Women Injured by Abortion. The Court's order also permits the filing and the Court's consideration of "friends of the court" briefs, filed by the Texas Alliance for Life, the American Center for Law & Justice, the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and by Texas Senator Dan Patrick and Texas Rep. Sid Miller. Taken together these briefs provide the many legal, humanitarian and common sense reasons The Court ought to uphold the Texas law requiring every woman be given the opportunity to have all the information she needs, including a viewing and medical description of the real-time ultrasound images of her unborn child, before giving her truly voluntary and informed consent to abortion..
Sam Casey, Managing Director and General Counsel for the Jubilee Campaign's Law of Life Project said concerning its "friend of the court" brief:
"We are pleased that the Court over the abortion industry's objections permitted us to file this brief so that the real life perspectives and voices of our clients, 317 Texas Women Injured By Abortion, and the thousands of other women they represent, could be heard. Our clients simply want to make it clear to the Court that women, like themselves, who are not being fully informed by abortionists now will be harmed if the injunction against enforcement of Texas' Informed Consent law (H.B. 15) is not vacated."
Texas' Informed Consent Law (H.B.15), enacted by the Texas Legislature and signed by Governor Perry last May, raises the standard of care regarding informed consent for abortion to the level that a patient would expect for any other medical or surgical procedure. The Act requires the physician or a licensed sonographer to perform a sonogram on a woman considering abortion. The law also requires the physician to provide a medical description of what the images of the unborn child are depicting. Under the law, the woman has a right to see the images of the unborn child and to hear the child's heartbeat if she wishes, though House Bill 15 does not require her to do so.
Jubilee Campaign's Law of Life Project is a public interest legal organization dedicated to legally defending the right to life and dignity of the human being from biological conception until natural death in all matters worldwide where such a defense is required. Jubilee Campaign is an international charitable organization that seeks to be a "voice for the voiceless" promoting the human rights of all, particularly women and children in countries which imprison, terrorize or otherwise oppress them.
