Texas Catholic bishops applaud state’s actions to defend unborn

The Texas Catholic Conference of bishops expressed their appreciation to Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s LIFE Initiative to provide greater protections for children in the womb and to prevent the sale of fetal tissue in the state of Texas. The bishops are also grateful for the announcement of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s decision to end Planned Parenthood's participation in the state's Medicaid Program due to affiliates’ failure to perform “medical services in a professionally competent, safe, legal, and ethical manner."

Both actions came after months of controversy following the release of undercover videos indicating that Planned Parenthood affiliates had been engaging in the systematic harvesting of fetal organs for scientific research. The undercover videos by the Center for Medical Progress have awakened national attention to the atrocity of dismembering infants and then using those parts for medical experimentation.

"The cavalier attitude displayed by Planned Parenthood executives in negotiating the sale of infants exposes a sustained pattern of exploitation and a heart-rending disregard for the dignity of innocent human life. Planned Parenthood claims that these actions are permissible under federal law, but the mere notion that this is an acceptable practice indicates the immoral depths to which some segments of our society continue to fall," the bishops said in a statement.

"The Catholic Church has always advocated for the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death and strenuously condemns the actions of the abortion industry. We are grateful to have state leaders who share that commitment to the preservation of life in the womb and who are committed to join us in advocating for unborn children’s fundamental rights to life and dignity."