Houston Chronicle by Andrea Zelinski Jan. 1, 2020
State officials take pride in protecting Texas’ image as a defender of the unborn, but those fights have cost taxpayers $5.6 million to protect a law struck down as unconstitutional and others that have no resolution in sight.
The legal fights over those state laws and administrative directives that have built additional restrictions on abortions and providers have led Texans to spend $3.1 million playing defense. The costs include staff salaries, travel expenses, filing fees and expert witnesses, according to state records released to Hearst Newspapers. In one case, Texas was also ordered to pay abortion providers $2.5 million for its attorneys’ fees.
“I think it’s a backward priority for the state of Texas,†said Amy Hagstrom Miller, president and CEO of Whole Woman’s Health, a group regularly challenging the state’s abortion laws in court. “The politicians are introducing legislation that’s unconstitutional and it’s not a secret. Even some of the people introducing it know it’s unconstitutional.â€
Anti-abortion advocates say little is more important than protecting the sanctity of life and contend the cost to taxpayers is worth it.
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