Texas Scorecard by Jacob Asmussen September 15, 2021
Houston Pregnancy Help Center: Rescuing Babies & Serving Women Amid Texas’ Contentious New Pro-Life Law
“That woman in crisis is our priority. … That is why we exist.” As abortion businesses and elected officials across the nation attack Texas for a new pro-life state law, Sylvia Johnson-Matthews and the Houston Pregnancy Help Center are continuing their mission of serving women and saving children—now more than ever.
The recent fight
On September 1, the Texas Heartbeat Act officially took effect statewide. The act, approved by the state Legislature in May, makes it illegal in Texas to kill a baby in the womb once the child’s heartbeat is detected—though the law still does not protect a baby in the first few weeks of his or her life.
The act came after more than 53,000 babies were aborted in Texas in 2020 alone.
Since May, the Heartbeat Act has also sparked a wildfire of backlash, with pro-abortion businesses, media, and elected officials (including President Joe Biden and his administration) raging against the law and suing to halt it, though the U.S. Supreme Court recently allowed the act to continue while the challenges are being litigated.
The Pregnancy Center’s response
Amid the national fight in the courts and media, Sylvia and her team are focused on helping more women and saving more children in their local neighborhoods. Sylvia is the executive director and CEO of the center, a place of “life affirming alternatives to Planned Parenthood,” where they provide women with free help and resources in their greatest time of need.
“That woman in crisis is our priority: the woman that’s in an unplanned pregnancy today, the woman who’s thinking about having an abortion today. That is our priority,” she told Texas Scorecard. “That is who we want to reach. That is why we exist.”
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/citizen-profiles/houston-pregnancy-help-center-rescuing-babies-serving-women-amid-texas-contentious-new-pro-life-law/
