Abortion And Family Planning

Abortion, Generally

Patrick Argued That Choosing Abortion Was A Way To “Play God”

Patrick Said That Choosing To Have An Abortion Was A Way To “Play God.” According to the Dallas Morning News, “Patrick, who wrote a book about his Christian faith, then described the discussion over issues like abortion and trans identity in more Biblical terms. ‘If you can take a life, just because you choose to in the womb, well then you play God. If you can change your sex,’ he said, ‘well, then, you play God.’” [Dallas Morning News, 4/6/22]

Patrick Argued There Was A “Battle” Between People “Who Believe That They Are God And Have Control Over Life And Death” And Those Who Were Devout Christians. According to the Dallas Morning News, “‘This is a battle of those who believe that they are God and have control over life and death and even their sex, and those who believe there is a Creator, who believe in God, believe in Jesus Christ,’ Patrick added. ‘Whatever their denomination is and their faith is, they believe there is a higher power who decides life and a higher power who designed us as human beings.’” [Dallas Morning News, 4/6/22]

Patrick Remained Committed To Championing Anti-Abortion Policies

2024: Patrick Tweeted That He Stood Firm In His Commitment To Champion Pro-Life Policies And Defend The Unborn Since Conception. According to Patrick’s Twitter, “Every life, from the moment of conception, is a unique gift deserving protection. I stand firm in my commitment to championing pro-life policies that defend the unborn. As Texans, it’s our duty to protect the most vulnerable. #txlege” [Twitter, @DanPatrick, 1/22/24]

Patrick Was Endorsed By Texas Alliance For Life, Which Defined Life Beginning At Conception And Supported Personhood Legislation In Cases Of Murder And Assault

2022: Texas Alliance For Life Endorsed Patrick.

[Texas Alliance For Life, Accessed 2/26/24]

Texas Alliance For Life Promoted The “Value And Dignity” Of Life From The “Moment Of Conception Until Natural Death”

Texas Alliance For Life Promoted The “Value And Dignity” Of Life From The “Moment Of Conception Until Natural Death.” According to the Texas Alliance For Life, “Texas Alliance for Life is a statewide non-profit organization of people committed to protecting the fundamental right to life of all innocent human beings and to promoting respect for their value and dignity from the moment of conception until natural death using peaceful, legal means. We therefore oppose the advocacy and practice of abortion (except to preserve the mother’s life), infanticide, euthanasia, and assisted suicide.” [Texas Alliance For Life, Accessed 2/26/24]

Texas Alliance For Life Supported Teaching Life Begins At Conception Through Sex-Ed Courses

Texas Alliance for Life Supported Requiring Sex-Ed Courses To Teach That Life Begins At Conception. According to the Texas Alliance For Life, “Texas Alliance for Life supports amending Chapter 28, Education Code, to require that all human sexuality education course materials and instructions used in public schools teach that life begins at conception.” [Texas Alliance For Life, Accessed 2/26/24]

Texas Alliance For Life Supported 2003 Legislation That Provided Personhood To Unborn Fetuses In Cases Of Murder And Assault

2003: Texas Alliance For Life Supported Senate Bill 319. According to the Austin Chronicle, “Texas Right to Life, Texas Alliance for Life, Eagle Forum, Christian Coalition, and other groups who are known to be anti-choice organizations set this bill as their top priority.” [Austin Chronicle, 6/6/03]

2003: Texas Law Was Amended To Define An “Unborn Child At Every State Of Gestation From Fertilization Until Birth” As An Individual In The Cases Of Murder And Assault. According to the Texas Tribune, “The Texas Penal Code was updated in 2003 to identify an ‘unborn child at every state of gestation from fertilization until birth’ as an individual for cases of murder and assault. That law has been upheld by Texas’ highest criminal court of appeals, allowing the state to prosecute individuals who cause the ‘death of or injury to an unborn child.’” [Texas Tribune, 9/13/22]

Patrick Was Endorsed By Texas Right To Life, Which Advocated For Life At Conception, Scrutinized In-Vitro Fertilization, And Supported Personhood Legislation

2022: Texas Right To Life PAC Endorsed Patrick.

[Texas Right To Life PAC, 1/1/20]

Texas Right To Life Advocated For Life Beginning In Fertilization

Texas Right To Life Advocated For Life “From Fertilization To Natural Death.” According to Texas Right To Life, “Texas Right to Life legally, peacefully and prayerfully protects the God-given Right to Life of innocent human beings from fertilization to natural death. ABORTION TRTL is a non-profit advocacy and educational organization that opposes abortion at any point of gestation, as abortion destroys a living, growing human life.” [Texas Right To Life, Accessed on 2/26/24]

Texas Right To Life Supported Teaching Life Begins In Fertilization In Sex Education Courses. According to Texas Right To Life, “TRTL takes no stand on who should teach children about sexuality, but we oppose the inclusion of abortion, forms of the IUD, and those birth control pills which are abortifacient in sex education courses. We also assert the need to teach the sanctity of innocent human life from fertilization until natural death and object to teaching abortion as an option for addressing teen pregnancy.” [Texas Right To Life, Accessed on 2/26/24]

Texas Right To Life Criticized IVF, Referring To Embryos As “Children” That Would Ultimately “Die In Storage Or Be Sacrificed To Medical Research”

Texas Right To Life Referred To Embryos In Fertility Clinics As “Children” That Would Ultimately “Die In Storage Or Be Sacrificed To Medical Research.” According to Texas Right To Life, “TRTL considers in vitro fertilization a technology that ignores rather than enhances respect for human life. While we sympathize with infertile couples, we cannot ignore the fact that research and clinical trials for this procedure have involved the destruction of newly conceived human embryos in the laboratory. Furthermore, there are currently over 400,000 tiny embryonic human beings ‘stored’ in fertility clinics. The vast majority of these children will die in storage or be sacrificed to medical research.” [Texas Right To Life, Accessed on 2/26/24]

Texas Right To Life Declared Neutrality For IVF Only If Parents Agree To Implant All Embryos Created Through IVF. According to Texas Right To Life, “If parents agree to implant into the womb all of their embryonic children created via in vitro fertilization, then TRTL is neutral on the procedure. However, parents typically fertilize more embryos than they are prepared to implant into the womb.” [Texas Right To Life PAC, Accessed on 2/26/24]

Texas Right To Life Supported A Personhood Constitutional Amendment And Personhood Legislation

Texas Right To Life Supported A Personhood Constitutional Amendment And Personhood Legislation To Protect Life “From Fertilization Until Death.” According to Texas Right To Life, “TRTL asserts the need for a Constitutional amendment, which would annul the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion and return to the people the power to protect all innocent human life, from fertilization until natural death. We note that constitutional amendments are not self-enforcing, so legislation will be necessary to mandate the protection empowered by a Human Life Amendment. On the other hand, legislation without such an Amendment is not necessarily a permanent solution. [...] TRTL supports an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which would guarantee the right to life of all persons from the moment of fertilization until natural death.” [Texas Right To Life, Accessed on 2/26/24]

2003: Texas Right To Life Supported Senate Bill 319. According to the Austin Chronicle, “Texas Right to Life, Texas Alliance for Life, Eagle Forum, Christian Coalition, and other groups who are known to be anti-choice organizations set this bill as their top priority.” [Austin Chronicle, 6/6/03]

2003: Texas Law Was Amended To Define An “Unborn Child At Every State Of Gestation From Fertilization Until Birth” As An Individual In The Cases Of Murder And Assault. According to the Texas Tribune, “The Texas Penal Code was updated in 2003 to identify an ‘unborn child at every state of gestation from fertilization until birth’ as an individual for cases of murder and assault. That law has been upheld by Texas’ highest criminal court of appeals, allowing the state to prosecute individuals who cause the ‘death of or injury to an unborn child.’” [Texas Tribune, 9/13/22]

Patrick Blamed School Shootings On “Devaluing Life”

2018: Patrick Blamed School Shootings On “Devaluing Life,” Including Through Abortions And Video Games. According to Slate Magazine, “Speaking on ABC News' This Week on Sunday, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made it clear that he thinks the 22 school shootings in the United States in 2018 can't be blamed on guns but on violent video games, abortions, unarmed teachers, and a lack of religion in schools, among other things. ‘We have devalued life, whether it's through abortion, whether it's the breakup of families, through violent movies, and particularly violent video games,’ he told ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos. ‘Psychologists and psychiatrists will tell you that students are desensitized to violence, may have lost empathy for their victims by watching hours and hours of video violent games.’” [Slate Magazine, 5/21/18]

In An Anti-Abortion Speech, Patrick Said The United States Was Founded On Judeo-Christian Values

2013: Patrick Said The United States Was Founded On Judeo-Christian Values And Asked Why Democrats Do Not Care So Much About Babies Being Aborted. According to San Angelo Standard Times, “Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, a strong anti-abortion advocate, said that if he wanted to he could ‘match passion with passion.’ ‘Why don't you care as much about those babies that are being aborted?’ Patrick said. In his closing, Patrick launched into a speech about the United States being a nation based on Judeo-Christian values. ‘This isn't about politics,’ Patrick said.” [San Angelo Standard Times, 7/13/13]

Patrick Said His Faith Influenced His Anti-Abortion Stances

2013: Patrick Spoke At The Right To Life Rally And Said His Faith Was An Important Element In His Stance On Abortion. According to Austin American Statesman, “The 2013 Texas Rally for Life, coordinated by the Texas Alliance for Life, comes on the heels of the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that asserted the right to abortion. Speakers who included Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Attorney General Greg Abbott and state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, championed abortion restrictions already in place in Texas, such as the decision to cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood and a 2011 law that requires sonograms before abortions [...] The 2013 Texas Rally for Life, coordinated by the Texas Alliance for Life, comes on the heels of the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that asserted the right to abortion. Speakers who included Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Attorney General Greg Abbott and state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, championed abortion restrictions already in place in Texas, such as the decision to cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood and a 2011 law that requires sonograms before abortions.” [Austin American Statesman, 1/27/13]

Bans

Patrick Championed Texas’s Heartbeat Ban, Which Banned Abortions After Six Weeks Of Gestation Without Rape Or Incest Exceptions

2021: Patrick Introduced A Bill That Would Ban Abortions After A Fetal Heartbeat Was Detected, Which Could Be As Early As Six Weeks Without Rape Or Incest Exceptions. According to The Monitor, “The measures are among the earliest bills to be debated by the full Senate — whose presiding officer, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, has given two abortion proposals top billing this session. Each piece of legislation must be voted on again in the upper chamber and then go through a similar process in the House before becoming law. Senate Bill 8 would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat has been detected, which can be as early as six weeks, according to a legislative analysis. The bill has an exception for medical emergencies but not for rape or incest.” [Monitor, 3/31/21]

Patrick Made It A Legislative Priority For The Texas Senate To Pass Texas’s Trigger Ban Law. According to a press release from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, “‘Texas has already taken decisive action on this issue. Not only did the Texas Legislature pass the Heartbeat Bill that has already saved thousands of innocent babies since becoming law last September, we also passed the Trigger Bill, which I made a top priority last session. ‘A Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe adheres to the Constitution and returns the decision on abortion back to the states as mandated by the 10th Amendment. The Trigger Bill ensures that if Roe is overturned, abortion is banned in Texas. Our Trigger Bill protects the mother from any criminal or civil penalty. If a doctor attempts an abortion, it is a second degree felony. If the baby dies, that doctor would face a first degree felony.” [Press Release – Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, 5/3/22]

2022: The Trigger Law Went Into Effect Following The Dobbs Ruling, Which Criminalized Abortions From The “Moment Of Fertilization” With Only An Exception For Life-Threatening Conditions For Pregnant Individuals. According to the Texas Tribune, “The law was ‘triggered’ when the U.S. Supreme Court issued its judgment in Dobbs v. Jackson, the case that overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed states to set their own laws about abortion. [...] The trigger law criminalizes performing an abortion from the moment of fertilization unless the pregnant patient is facing ‘a life-threatening physical condition aggravated by, caused by, or arising from a pregnancy.’ The statute specifically prohibits prosecuting a pregnant patient who undergoes an abortion.” [Texas Tribune, 8/25/22]

2021: The Trigger Law Was Signed Into Law, Which Would Immediately Ban Abortions In Texas If The U.S. Supreme Court Overturned Roe V. Wade. According to the Texas Tribune, “Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday signed into law a bill that would almost immediately outlaw abortions in Texas if a court ruling or constitutional amendment gave states the authority to prohibit the procedure. The governor’s signature on House Bill 1280 comes just as the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case about a Mississippi abortion law that could pave the way for more state restrictions on abortion access. A decision is expected some time next year, and it would be the first time the Court’s newly expanded conservative majority weighs in on the issue.” [Texas Tribune, 6/16/21]
The Trigger Law Imposed $100,000 Fines Or Life In Prison To Texas Doctors If They Performed Abortions Under The Trigger Ban. According to the Texas Tribune, “The so-called trigger bill would take effect 30 days after an applicable court ruling. Texas doctors could face life in prison or $100,000 fines if they perform abortions, under the ban.” [Texas Tribune, 6/16/21]

Patrick Introduced A Trigger Bill That Would Have Ban Abortions If Roe V. Wade Were Overturned

2007: Patrick Introduced A Bill That Would Immediately Make Abortions Illegal In Texas After Roe V. Wade Was Overturned. According to Austin American-Statesman, “Freshman state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, has gotten the attention of people on both sides of the abortion debate with a bill to make most abortions illegal in Texas immediately if the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling is overturned. But Patrick's so-called trigger bill, or any trigger bill for that matter, is not part of Texas Right to Life's agenda for the legislative session, officials for the Houston-based anti-abortion group say.” [Austin American-Statesman, 1/18/07]

Regulations And Restrictions

To Appease Patrick And Anti-Abortion Legislators, Texas Began To Require Non-Emergency Abortion Seekers To Acquire A Separate Insurance Policy

2017: A Law That Required Individuals Seeking A Non-Emergency Abortion To Acquire A Separate Policy Insurance To Cover Abortion Services Was Pushed To Appease Patrick And The Anti-Abortion Base. According to The Shorthorn, “Texas women seeking nonemergency abortions will have to get a separate insurance policy to cover the procedure starting Dec. 1 [...] The reasoning behind this new law comes from a partly political context. Political science chairwoman Rebecca Deen said the reason this item appeared in Abbott's special session agenda was to please the Republican and antiabortion base while smoothing out in-party disagreements surrounding House Speaker Joe Straus and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.” [Shorthorn, 9/7/17]

Patrick Supported Denying Abortion Coverage Under Health Insurance Plans

2017: Patrick Supported SB 20 That Would Deny Abortion Coverage Under Any Health Insurance Plan. According to The Fort Worth Star Telegram, “Reproductive rights groups are also troubled by Senate Bill 20, filed Friday by Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, that would deny abortion coverage under health insurance plans. The bill would allow for abortion coverage in medical emergencies but would require women would to pay extra fees for a separate add-on to their actual health insurance plan. The Legislature has introduced seven similar bills since the 2011 session, according to records from the Texas Legislative Reference Library. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a news release that SB 20 ensures ‘Texans are never forced to violate their conscience by paying for someone else's decision to end an innocent life.’” [Fort Worth Star Telegram, 1/7/17]

Patrick Said Conservatives Were “Listening A Little Closer To God” After Passing Abortion Restrictions

When The Texas Senate Passed Tougher Abortion Restrictions, Patrick Said Conservatives Were “Listening A Little Closer To God.” According to the Austin American-Statesman, “Patrick invoked his faith in speaking about the passage of tougher abortion restrictions. He said that he and his allies were ‘listening a little closer to God’ than those on the other side of the issue.” [Austin American-Statesman, 9/24/16]

Patrick Supported Requiring Parental Consent Before A Minor Could Undergo An Abortion Service

2015: Patrick Supported A Bill That Prohibited A Minor Seeking Abortion Without A Parent’s Consent. According to The El Paso Times, “Judges worry that might make them the object of harassment and threats, Rodríguez said. After the vote, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick hailed HB 3996. ‘The bill's purpose is to prohibit a physician from performing an abortion on an underage child without their parent's consent, or legal court order authorizing the minor to consent to an abortion,’ he said in a statement. ‘Protecting the life of the unborn is one of the most important acts we can take as elected officials.’” [El Paso Times, 5/26/15]

Patrick Championed Legislation That Required Sonograms Before Abortions Could Be Performed

2012: Patrick Pushed Legislation That Required Those Seeking An Abortion To Listen To A Sonogram. According to The Texas Tribune, “2011's abortion sonogram law - another measure Patrick championed - requires that a physician, as opposed to a technician or nurse, perform a sonogram on a woman seeking an abortion at least 24 hours ahead of the procedure. That in effect prohibits the use of telemedicine for drug-induced abortions, which opponents of the procedure call a welcome consequence for a little-discussed practice. SB 97, Patrick's latest measure, would further increase the in-person requirements for physicians. In addition to the in-person sonogram 24 hours ahead of the abortion, doctors would have to personally administer both of the two medications used for drug-induced abortions,and see the patient again for a follow-up appointment within 14 days, a particular challenge for the roving doctors who treat women in the state's rural counties.” [Texas Tribune, 11/20/12]

Patrick Introduced Legislation That Would Have Offered Pregnant Individuals $500 As An Alternative To Abortion

2007: Patrick Proposed Legislation That Would Offer Pregnant Individuals $500 From Seeking An Abortion And Choose To Put Their Child Up For Adoption. According to The University Wire, “And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Texas, proposed legislation that would offer pregnant women $500 to abstain from having abortions. The money, he argues, would help women realize that putting the child up for adoption is another viable option. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has also chimed in. According to The Associated Press, the Republican signed a bill just last week, which, if and when Roe v. Wade is overturned, would immediately make abortion illegal in Mississippi.” [University Wire, 3/29/07]

Contraception

Patrick Underwent A Vasectomy On Live Radio And Encouraged Other Men To Get Vasectomies

1991: Patrick Underwent A Vasectomy On Live Radio And Encouraged Other Men To Undergo The Procedure. According to the Houston Chronicle, “In a stunt that would eventually get him recognized by ‘Ripley's Believe it or Not!,’ Patrick underwent a vasectomy on live radio. According to UPI, Patrick did it to encourage other men to get them, too. His wife watched the procedure. ‘Women are forced, basically, by their husbands, to go through surgery because the men chicken out doing it,’ he said during the broadcast. ‘It's really a lot less riskier and a lot less expensive for men to go through this surgery.’” [Houston Chronicle, 4/21/23]

Exceptions

Patrick Was Non-Committal On Whether To Include Rape Or Incest Exceptions To Texas’ Near Total Abortion Ban

2022: Patrick Did Not Commit To Add Rape And Incest To Exceptions To Texas’ Near Total Abortion Ban. According to The Dallas Morning News, “Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is noncommittal on whether the Texas Legislature should add rape and incest exemptions to the state’s near-total abortion ban. ‘I am not saying no, but we’d have to see a real groundswell of Republicans in the House and Senate to say yes,’ Patrick told Spectrum News’ Capital Tonight in an interview” [Dallas Morning News, 12/12/22]

In Response To Critiques To His Opposition For Rape Or Incest Exceptions, Patrick Said Children Conceived From Rape Or Incest Were “Born In The Image Of God”

2014: When Patrick’s Democratic Opponent Scrutinized Him For His Opposition To Abortion Exceptions In Cases Of Rape And Incest, Patrick Responded With His Belief That All Children Were “Born In The Image Of God” And Were All Human Beings.” According to the Texas Tribune, “The candidates faced off on their opposing views on access to abortion in Texas. Van de Putte said the state Legislature needs to leave decisions related to abortion in the hands of women and their families. When she attacked Patrick for his opposition to an exception from the strict abortion regulations in cases of rape or incest, Patrick said Van de Putte was standing against life. ‘I understand that some people have different opinions on rape and incest, but that child is still born in the image of God and is a human being,’ Patrick said.” [Texas Tribune, 9/29/14]

Dobbs Decision

Patrick Said The Dobbs Decision Was A “Great Day” For Unborn Fetuses

2022: Patrick Reacted To The Released Dobbs Decision And Stated It Was A “Great Day” For “Innocent Babies In The Womb.” According to The San Antonio Express-News, “Texas leaders and abortion care nonprofits shared their thoughts on Twitter after a leaked draft opinion revealed a majority of Supreme Court justices agreed to vote for a judicial opinion that would strike down Roe v. Wade. Politico obtained the draft and broke the news on Monday, May 2 [...] Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick also reacted and released a statement that read, ‘the leaked draft is indeed accurate, it is a great day for innocent babies in the womb. They will be safe in Texas and other Republican states.’” [San Antonio Express-News, 5/3/22]

Patrick’s Anti-Abortion Beliefs Were Aligned To His Christian Principles

Patrick Argued That Choosing Abortion Was A Way To “Play God”

Patrick Argued There Was A “Battle” Between People “Who Believe That They Are God And Have Control Over Life And Death” And Those Who Were Devout Christians. According to the Dallas Morning News, “‘This is a battle of those who believe that they are God and have control over life and death and even their sex, and those who believe there is a Creator, who believe in God, believe in Jesus Christ,’ Patrick added. ‘Whatever their denomination is and their faith is, they believe there is a higher power who decides life and a higher power who designed us as human beings.’” [Dallas Morning News, 4/6/22]