Texas Senate Moves Forward With Bill Requiring Women To Get Counseling Before An Abortion

Bill advocates say such counseling is necessary to inform pregnant women of all resources available to them, but opponents fear that the legislation lacks key protections, like a requirement for the counselor to be a licensed medical professional. Meanwhile, an Alabama lawmaker gets push back over the language he used while criticizing his antiabortion colleagues for not caring for children after they're born.

Texas Tribune: Texas Abortion Bill Would Require Women To Get Counseling Before Procedure

The Texas Senate advanced a bill on Thursday that would require pregnant people to receive counseling before getting an abortion. Senate Bill 2243 would require a counselor to give pregnant women informational materials that detail the medical risks of the procedure and alternatives to abortion — a pamphlet that opponents say contains false information, although the law requires it to be medically accurate. (Sandaram and Byrne, 5/2)

Austin Statesman: Texas Senate Gives Initial OK To Bill Requiring Counseling Before Abortion

Senate Bill 2243 by Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, would require a woman to meet with a counselor to discuss available resources for pregnant women in the state, including housing, child care, adoption services and others. Any counseling about abortion would be required to be medically accurate. The counselor also would administer screening for domestic violence and human trafficking. “A lack of information or fear or isolation or feeling alone — all of these are probably the worst reasons or the worst conditions under which any of us would make any big decision,” Paxton said during the debate, noting that the bill would ensure women receive guidance so “they can make a decision that is based on reality, not on fear or lack of information.” (Mekelburg, 5/2)

The Associated Press: Lawmaker: Abortion Comments Meant To Criticize Hypocrisy

An Alabama lawmaker who remarked "kill them now or kill them later" during debate on an abortion bill said he was trying to criticize politicians' focus on abortion as they neglect social services. The comments by Democratic Rep. John Rogers of Birmingham drew widespread attention on social media — including condemnation from Donald Trump, Jr. — two days after they were made on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives. (Chandler, 5/2)

The Washington Post: Alabama State Rep. John Rogers On Abortion: ‘Kill Them Now’ Or ‘Kill Them Later.’

Rogers argued Wednesday that “it ought to be a woman’s choice” about terminating a pregnancy, an autonomy that would disappear entirely if the majority-Republican Alabama Senate passes the “Human Life Protection Act” — a bill that would criminalize abortion at any stage of pregnancy. “I’m not about to be the male tell a woman what to do with her body,” he said, repeating a common refrain among abortion-rights advocates. “She has a right to make that decision herself." (Mettler, 5/2)

And the head of Planned Parenthood talks strategy —

The New York Times: Leana Wen Of Planned Parenthood Wants To Tackle The ‘Fundamental Unfairness In Our System’

When Leana Wen became president of Planned Parenthood last year, she had big shoes to fill. Her predecessor, Cecile Richards, emerged as a major voice on issues involving public health and women’s rights during her 12 years in the job. But Dr. Wen, who is 36, came with her own eye-popping credentials. She was born in Shanghai and immigrated to the United States when she was 7, living first in Utah, then in Los Angeles. She skipped high school and started college when she was 13, aspiring to be a doctor. (Gelles, 5/2)

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