The Abolition of Abortion in Texas Act, HB 896
April 8, 2019
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Kendra Thomas testimony
"My name is Kendra Thomas. I'm here representing my son, Jeremiah. I am for this bill. Jeremiah was sixteen years old, an all-star football player, when he found out his sports injury was really a large malignant tumor in his chest. From the time we found out that he had cancer, to the time the Lord took him home, we had 224,780 minutes with him, and every minute was precious. He lost the use of his legs, his dream of playing football, his plans for missions, and a future in the ministry, but he did not lose his faith and his LORD, Jesus Christ. "When he learned he'd never walk again, he told his dad, 'I can still preach from a wheelchair.' And he did. He preached from his wheelchair, outside of Planned Parenthood, at churches and youth groups, using his social media accounts. Jeremiah was paralyzed on chemo, was dying and in pain, but he spent the last of his life abolishing abortion, because he knew Jesus came to give life, to abolish sin and death. Make-A-Wish contacted our son. And while Jeremiah was in excruciating pain, his wish was for others to live. "Jeremiah's dying wish was to abolish abortion in Texas. Governor Abbott graciously called Jeremiah while he was in the hospital. Jeremiah asked him to abolish abortion. And Governor Abbott said, 'Your wish is granted.' This is the bill Jeremiah wished for. Please grant Jeremiah is dying wish, and support HB 896." -- Kendra Thomas Rusty Thomas testimony
"My name is Rusty Thomas. I'm Jeremiah's dad. I'm representing my LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ. I'm His ambassador. And I'm representing myself and Operation Save America. Just a few comments. "We know the law is not just punitive in nature. The law is also a teacher. And the question we have to ask is, what has Roe v. Wade taught an entire generation? The message is clear. If you have a problem you can handle, murder it. And our culture has learned that lesson very, very well. It has also taught the problem is the baby in the womb, who is made in the image of God, rather than the sexual immorality abortion enables. For those of you who are familiar with the Bible, you know King David committed a horrible sin and the horrible crime. He committed adultery, and he thought the solution to the problem was murder. It didn't work for King David. And it will not work for the United States of America, nor the state of Texas. "Our nation has made a covenant with death, and has produced a culture of death that is savaging this generation. HB 896 will end this holocaust in the state of Texas. It will establish justice that God Almighty demands, and it will begin to cleanse our defiled state that has committed child sacrifice and the shedding of innocent blood. "I call upon this committee to fear God, rather than the Supreme Court, and do your duty, which is to protect life and stop the shedding of innocent blood. You are not to hold the sword of justice in vain. You are called God's minister and your duty is to punish the evildoer, as God has defined evil, and protect those who are good in God's sight, as God has defined good. So I asked you to make sure this bill sees the light of day. Do your duty. That is your job. And trust God for the results, in Jesus name. Thank you." -- Rusty Thomas |
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Tom HOefling testimony
"I drove a thousand miles to be here to tell you that I support this bill. Why, you might ask? Because what you do here in Texas affects the whole country. It was bad Texas legislating that gave us Roe v. Wade in the first place. The 1961 Texas statute that was cited in Roe failed to provide equal protection for the unborn child. Jail time for the abortionist was only two to five years, and the mother who hired the hit man to murder her child was let completely off the hook. That's why the Roe court used this statute to claim that the unborn child is not human. If Texas won't treat babies as human, why should the courts do so? That's exactly what Blackmun argued in Roe. "But you didn't swear an oath to obey judges. We don't live in a judicial oligarchy; we live in a constitutional representative republic. The folks in this room should know that better than anybody. You swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution -- the Constitution that, in the 14th Amendment, absolutely requires very State in the Union to provide equal protection for every person. It's not optional. The ultimate stated purpose of our Constitution is to secure the blessings of liberty to posterity. Our Founders put our rights on the same plane as their own. How can we do any less for our posterity -- our children, our grandchildren? "Look around this room. You have to be very hardhearted to ignore what's going on in this room. The moral power that is being shown in this room is remarkable today. I have been in politics for 30 years, and this is one of the most remarkable things I have ever seen. You have to be less than a patriot to ignore the constitutional arguments against allowing this holocaust, this genocide, to continue. "Things are changing. Look. Look. This is Texas. These are Texas Republicans. You know, I hope you do the right thing on a moral basis, on a constitutional basis, but if nothing else, do it on the basis of your own self interest. You're going to be buried by abolitionism -- pro-life-ism, regulationism is dead, okay? You're seeing the death of regulationism in this room, right now, that's what you're seeing. So I urge you, pay no attention to the court, pay no attention to your colleagues. Vote to uphold your sacred oath that you made to God, and not to anybody else, and provide equal protection for every person. Thank you." -- Tom Hoefling |