When Texas Democrats broke quorum in late July and fled to other states to avoid voting on redistricting, special sessions covering human trafficking legislation and many others were left to hang in the balance. In the last legislative session, a bill banning abortion pills was killed when it was stalled in the House; this was not the first time. Texas has yet another opportunity to fight for the lives of the preborn by banning abortion pills. Will you stand in the gap with us for the preborn once again? 

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In 2022, when Roe v. Wade was overturned and Texas banned abortion, it was a partial victory.  Abortion rates increased due to the ease of access to abortion pills. It is estimated that 19,000 abortion pills are ordered each year in Texas alone by Aid Access, the largest abortion pill distributor in the world. This means 19,000 babies may die every year, and thousands of women’s lives are endangered in Texas alone.

President of Texas Right to Life, John Seago, and Legislative Director Ashley Leenerts, were present to testify at the Senate hearing in favor of “The Women and Child Protection Act,” on Monday, August 11, 2025, which passed the Senate vote. Eighteen Republicans voted in favor, while one Republican abstained from voting. Two Democrats voted against it, and the rest of the Democrats were not present. John has been a powerful pro-life voice in advocating for the preborn. Some of the legislative victories of the Texas Right to Life include the Texas Preborn Pain Act, Dismemberment Abortion Ban, and, more recently, the Texas Heartbeat Act, which was the first in the entire country to take effect before Roe v. Wade was overturned. 

John and Ashley took the time to speak with IFA State Leader Donna Phillips and me, answering questions and sharing how you can pray for Texas as they continue to fight for life. 

John explained how some pro-abortion states adopted “Shield Laws” when Roe v. Wade was overturned. 

“Shield Laws protect pro-abortion activists in New York and California who mail abortion pills into pro-life states. If any law enforcement, courts, or state officials look for those breaking the law, they protect and shield them and prevent the police from investigating. They do everything they can to continue to allow them to send abortion pills into pro-life states. This is why our bill, is so lengthy and complex, with legalese, because we are trying to provide Texas with tools to overcome those shield laws. We want to hold those accountable, regardless of the state you are in. If you are actively breaking our laws, sending abortion pills that kill babies and hurt moms, we want to hold you accountable. That is one of the big goals of the Women and Child Protection Act.

This development has occurred over the last three years in Texas. Each state has its policies on how well it protects babies, but some pro-abortion states are going out of their way to sabotage pro-life states. It’s not enough that California and New York go out of their way to shed innocent blood within their borders. They’re going out of their way to keep pro-life states from saving lives. The Shield law development is brand new; we don’t do this in any other territory, like marijuana laws or laws where states have disagreements. It exposes the spiritual nature of this fight. It is unlike anything else,” John said.

Facts Versus Fiction

A common phrase is circulating among pro-choice groups that abortion pills are safer to take than Tylenol. 

“It is a blatant lie when they talk about how safe the abortion pills are. For one, if it were true that Tylenol is safer than abortion pills, then Tylenol should be banned as well. According to the Ethics and Public Policy Center (read here), the largest studies ever done, one in ten women who take the abortion pill needs medical care within 45 days. This is due to severe medical complications like hemorrhage and sepsis. They compare Tylenol, when not taken as prescribed, has been reported to cause overdose or medical complications, but abortion pills have these complications when taken as prescribed. It is not a good comparison. Just because they think something is “safer” than abortion pills, it doesn’t mean abortion pills are safe,” Ashley said. 

Are abortion pill-related complications as low as pro-abortion activists claim? 

The truth is, in 2016, under the Obama administration, the FDA stopped reporting women who experienced harm caused by abortion pills. “The FDA was only allowed to report abortion pill-related deaths. Serious complications like sepsis and hemorrhaging or any negative outcomes are not required to be reported. Some states do not report how many abortions they commit. We don’t know how safe or how dangerous it is either,” Ashley said. 

How easy is the process of ordering abortion pills? 

“You can go on various websites to order abortion pills. There is no regard for women’s health. They have an advertisement that says if you want to speak with a medical provider, you can, but it also tells women that it’s safe and discreet to order online. The pills come in unlabeled packaging, with no instructions included. It’s even stated on the website. We hear similar firsthand accounts from pregnancy resource centers from women who have used them, needing medical attention. Sometimes, they are directed to medical providers. Some women show up to PRCs with pills in hand. 

These drugs come across the border, unlabeled; the woman doesn’t even know if she’s receiving the proper dosage. When she has complications, the websites and abortion pill distributors instruct women to tell the ERs she’s having a natural miscarriage. It is recorded as a negative outcome on a normal pregnancy, rather than what it is, complications from abortion pills. 

“Last year, two women in Georgia died from abortion pills. The left tried to say it’s because of pro-life laws. It was public news that it was abortion pill complications, but they still tried blaming pro-life laws. News outlets are not trying to report the truth and help women understand that. They are working against any laws that will restrict abortion pills. They aren’t trying to make sure these women are not taking random drugs coming across the border, that might be what they say they are, and kill the baby, and endanger her, or be something entirely different. We don’t know what the drug is or what the results will be.”  

Does this bill target women?

“This bill is not targeting women; it empowers women to bring a lawsuit. The industry targets these women at a vulnerable time. They are told these are ‘period pills’ with no complications, to bring their period back. Years later, when she realized what had happened, she had no recourse. This law will provide her and women like her the ability to sue the abortion industry. She’s the one who knows what happened. If we were to target her, it would be difficult to know who these pills were going to. However, if we grant her standing to bring a lawsuit, it enables her to pursue those who targeted her for financial gain. Specifically, you cannot charge a woman under this law.  For 50 years, the abortion industry has targeted women. We want to help the culture shift and give her tools to combat the abortion industry and coercion we’re seeing. There have been public outcries this past year as some boyfriends and husbands drugged women without their knowledge,” Ashley said.

What are Bounty Hunter laws? 

These are the best tools we have to ensure laws are being enforced. Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, states had a challenging time enforcing pro-life laws banning abortion before viability, which was 20 weeks. The Heartbeat Act banned abortion when the heartbeat was detected at a bout 6 weeks because of the enforcement tool we used. It does make a difference. This ensures that, regardless of who your District Attorney is, they must enforce state law. In reality, if a DA is a pro abortion Democrat, they will not implement pro-life laws. With bounty hunter laws, we can see that enforcement is likely to be effective, rather than there being safe pockets across Texas to target. 

While all eyes are on Texas, here’s how you can pray.

“There’s a bigger political struggle with Democrats breaking quorum and trying to shut down the legislature from doing its job. Due to the political uncertainty, many House leaders are asking what they can get away with and are doing the bare minimum. That is a man-fearing, not God fearing question. The great news is that we have the support of the Lieutenant Governor and the Governor. They want to get this done and see it as a top priority. The leaders in the Senate are dedicated,” John said.

•  Pray for the Texas House. 

The Senate usually votes in favor of life. The House is Democratic run. Pray for the House to see the value of the preborn and vote for life. 

• Pray for courage, clarity, and wisdom for our legislators to push a strong bill that will save lives and help women.
• Pray for wisdom for Texas Speaker Dustin Burrows.

He has worked with us on pro-life legislation in the past, pray he will choose life again. We need Speaker Burrows to be vigilant and possess wisdom to help us reach the finish line. 

This is a tangible life-and-death fight, not just politics. 

Friday, August 22, 2025, began a special second session. The Senate passed HB7 quickly. On Monday, August 25, 2025, the Woman and Child Protection Act passed the House State Affairs Committee 8-4. It will now go to the House for a full vote. 

Ashley shared the sobering facts about what would happen if this didn’t pass. “If we make it through all special sessions, but the House doesn’t pass the bill, the legislature won’t meet until 2027 for the next regular legislative session. It’s a five-month-long session that happens every other year. Laws passed during that time don’t take effect until the following September. That accounts for 38,000 abortion pills being ordered. That’s probably a low number; there are thousands and thousands of preborn lives on the line, not to mention thousands of women hurting and dealing with the emotional and spiritual trauma of abortion and the dangers of abortion pills.

Texas is currently leading the way. No other state has this strategy to hold people accountable. The abortion industry is fearful that if this bill becomes law, it will be one of the greatest threats to the industry. We can lead the way in saving lives, and other states can implement something similar. God is using what is happening in our state with abortion, unfortunately, with how they are undermining our laws. Still, I believe He can use this and get us to a place where abortion is illegal across the country.”

If you are ready to continue to stand for the preborn, let’s pray.

Father, 

We thank You for this opportunity to fight for life and protect women once again. We thank You for the Texas Senate, which recognizes the value of life in the womb. Do a mighty work in the hearts of men and women in the Texas House, where they do not fight as adamantly for life. We pray for Speaker Burrows. We pray for courage and boldness, and that as he worked to protect life before, he would do it again. 

You can do anything. Will You use what the enemy means for evil by violating our laws and turn it for Your good, to save lives? When Roe v. Wade was overturned, it was like the stone in Goliath’s forehead, but Goliath didn’t die until David used his sword against him. Lord, use shield law violations in Texas as a way to pass HB7 and inspire states across America to fight back.

The abortion industry is in fear of this bill, and we praise You. Bring turnaround from a culture of death to life, and a culture that manipulates women to the truth, setting women free. Bless John, Ashley, and the Texas Right to Life team as they continue the fight, in Jesus’ name, amen. 

How are you praying for life?

IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor and listen to her podcast, Something To Share. Photo Credit: Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash.