Our foundational principle to protect the life and dignity of all human persons calls us to work to end abortion, euthanasia, destruction of human embryos, cloning and assisted suicide.

HB 21		This bill would require physicians to inform women considering an abortion about the risks involved, available support (medical and otherwise) if she chooses not to have an abortion, and other information including the age of the unborn child and the performing doctor. The physician would have to receive written certification that the woman had received this information prior to performing the abortion. The TCC supports this bill because it would require women to have accurate information about the reality and risks of abortion before consenting to the procedure.
HB 22		This bill would allow for the inspection of places where abortions are performed that are exempt from the licensing requirement. The TCC supports this bill because it does not exempt any abortion provider from maintaining specific standards.
HB 175		This is a trigger bill that would prohibit abortions, except for the purpose of preventing the death of the mother, if the Supreme Court or a new amendment to the US Constitution no longer prohibited states from banning an abortion. The TCC supports all initiatives to limit the practice of abortion, which violates the dignity of innocent, unborn human life.
HB 224		This legislation would allow the issuance of "Choose Life" license plates. $25 of the purchase price of every plate would be collected into a Choose Life account. Money from the account would be distributed, in the form of grants, to charitable organizations that help pregnant women place their children for adoption and are not affiliated with abortion-related facilities or provide abortion referrals. Money would also be used to provide counseling, training, and pregnancy testing. The TCC supports this bill because it would help promote a Culture of Life within the state and would also create support for pregnancy centers that advocate adoption and not abortion.
HB 225		This bill would prohibit the state from funding the types of biomedical research that federal law prohibits the federal government from funding. The TCC supports a cautious approach to new methods of biomedical research to ensure that these methods do not infringe upon the dignity of human life. See SB 1835.
HB 268		This bill would require any standard health benefit plan that covered prescription drugs or devices to also cover prescription contraceptive drugs, and devices, and related services. The TCC opposes this bill because contraception and requiring the financing of contraception is a direct affront to the dignity of the person and the family and it would require the Church to provide coverage which in against our teachings.
HB 301		Under the existing law, an abortion cannot be performed without the voluntary and informed consent of the women on whom the abortion is performed. This bill proposes that, in cases where a severe and irreversible abnormality in the fetus is detected, the existing consent law can be overrided and an abortion provider would be able to get consent without giving the woman information on abortion and abortion alternatives. The TCC opposes any efforts to make the process of performing an abortion easier because abortion is gravely contrary to moral law. In addition, God created all human life and all children have the right to be born regardless of abnormalities.
HB 306		Under the existing law, an abortion cannot be performed without the voluntary and informed consent of the women on whom the abortion is performed. This bill proposes that, in cases where the pregnancy is a result of conduct constituting a felony (which includes incest and rape), the existing consent law can be overrided and an abortion provider would be able to get consent without giving the woman information on abortion and abortion alternatives. The TCC opposes any efforts to make the process of performing an abortion easier because abortion is gravely contrary to moral law. Abortion in the case of conception by rape or incest further continues the violence and trauma to the woman.
HB 537		This bill proposes the creation of a stem cell research account which could appropriate funds for human embryonic stem cell research. The TCC opposes the use of embryonic stem cells for scientific research because obtaining these cells requires the destruction of a human embryo and thus violates the dignity of human life.
HB 1131		This bill would require that physicians file a report if they treat a woman with a complication that they believe arises from the termination or attempted termination of pregnancy. The TCC supports this bill because it would serve as a way to record the number of abortions in Texas which would help the state compile more accurate statistics about abortion.
HB 1533		This bill prohibits cloning by the technique of placing a human embryo, created by a method other than fertilization, in a woman. The TCC opposes the bill because it would allow for the creation of a cloned embryo but not the implantation, therefore requiring the destruction or freezing or research on the human embryo.
HB 1750		This bill would require abortion providers to submit a report for every abortion performed.The TCC supports this bill because it would serve as a way to record the number of abortions in Texas which would help the state compile more accurate statistics about abortion.
HB 1760		This bill would remove the statement that discusses the link between abortion and breast cancer from the Woman's Right to Know act. People must be informed of the risks involved with any medical procedure. The TCC opposes removing relevant information from the Woman's Right to Know act because that leaves a woman potentially uninformed about her decision to have an abortion.
HB 2142		This bill would prohibit an organization from advertising "pregnancy-related medical services" unless it was a licensed health-care provider and legally authorized to provide these services. The TCC opposes this bill because it targets pro-life organizations like the Gabriel Project from providing medical services, including sonograms, unless they are licensed.
HB 2161		This bill would require emergency care facilities to provide prescriptions for emergency contraception and information on emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault. The TCC opposes this bill because of the belief that a woman who has been sexually assaulted needs care that will help strengthen her, not further add to her trauma. We also believe that this law may be misused by minors or others who cannot obtain prescriptions for emergency contraception any other way.
HB 2223		This bill would prohibit state funding for "medically inaccurate" crisis pregnancy centers. So, providing information on the links between abortion and breast cancer, or on NFP, would be grounds for the state to reject funding. The bill would also require the center to publicly display a statement that they "do not provide information on pregnancy prevention." The TCC opposes this bill because it has the potential to remove funding from Gabriel Project centers that teach NFP and it broadly construes the term "medically inaccurate" in such a way that providing medically unproven information would constitute the grounds for the state to refuse funding.
HB 3077		This bill would allow an non-parent adults who have had control, care and possession of a minor for 6 months to consent to an abortion. Abortion is always the wrongful killing of an innocent life. In its efforts to abolish abortion and strengthen the role of a parent in their child's life, the TCC opposes efforts to substitute parental consent for such a grave moral decision and serious medical procedure.
HB 3165		This bill prohibits organizations that receive state funding to instruct on human sexuality or human development, such as the Gabriel Project, from providing "medically accurate information." The TCC opposes this bill because it broadly construes the term "medically inaccurate" in such a way that providing medically unproven information, such as the abortion-breat cancer link, would constitute the grounds for the state to refuse funding.
HB 3212		This bill would establish a procedure for verifying that a person consenting to an abortion on behalf of a minor is in fact the minor's parent or legal guardian. Physicians would be required to comply with this procedure. Abortion is always the wrongful killing of an innocent life. In its efforts to abolish abortion and strengthen parental consent laws in Texas, the TCC supports ensuring that a minor's parents are aware of her decision.
HB 3474		The TCC supports this advance directive bill because it includes nutrition and hydration as ordinary care, changes the definition of "irreversible condition," revises the process to provide better and more compassionate communication to the family, and extends the period of time of transfer to a minimum of 21 days. We believe that the patient and his or her family should be the first concern of any legislation impacting end-of-life care. Further, we believe that natural death with dignity is the primary goal of every individual and institution engaged in this process. For our joint statement with the Catholic Health Association of Texas, go here.
HB 3704		This bill would mandate local law enforcement to provide training on enforcement of federal immigration law. The TCC believes that it is not the responsibility of state law enforcement to enforce federal laws and opposes any legislation that would allow or require state enforcement of federal laws.
HJR 43		This bill would establish a Texas Institute for Regenerative Medicine that would fund research into stem cell research, including research of stem cells obtained from "surplus products" of in vitro fertilization.The TCC opposes the use of embryonic stem cells, even those obtained via in vitro fertilization, in scientific research because obtaining these cells requires the destruction of a human embryo and thus violates the dignity of human life.
SB 56		This bill would protect the use of nuclear transplantation, the inducing of an egg to form an embryo, for scientific research. The TCC opposes the use of nuclear transplantation because the process produces an embryo which is then used for research. The destruction of a human embryo and thus violates the dignity of human life. See SB 413, HB 1829.
SB 186		This is a trigger bill that would prohibit abortions, except for the purpose of preventing the death of the mother, if the Supreme Court or a new amendment to the US Constitution no longer prohibited states from banning an abortion. The TCC supports all initiatives to limit the practice of abortion, which violates the dignity of innocent, unborn human life.
SB 646		This bill prohibits cloning by the technique of placing a human embryo, created by a method other than fertilization, in a woman. The TCC opposes the bill because it would allow for the creation of a cloned embryo but not the implantation, therefore requiring the destruction or freezing or research on the human embryo. See HB 2704.
SB 785		This bill would require abortion providers to submit a report for every abortion performed. The TCC supports this bill because it would serve as a way to record the number of abortions in Texas which would help the state compile more accurate statistics about abortion.
SB 920		This bill would require that women who wish to have an abortion receive an ultrasound of the unborn child. The TCC supports this bill because it provides the mother with more information about her unborn child and may help the mother realize the humanity of her unborn child and choose life.
SB 1174		This bill would require crisis pregnancy centers that receive state funds to have at least one licensed health care practitioner or counselor on staff. The TCC opposes this legislation because it would stop funding for Gabriel Project centers which provide crisis pregnancy help and don't necessarily have a licensed medical professional on staff.See HB 2878.
SB 1567		This bill would allow for the creation of an adoption incentive program that would encourage pregnant women to choose adoption instead of abortion. The TCC supports this effort to protect the life of a woman's unborn child.