This list was compiled by the Texas Alliance for Life

In 2015, the Texas Legislature accomplished sensational pro-life gains. Under the leadership of Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and Speaker Joe Straus, the Legislature passed five major pro-life bills, increased funding for alternatives to abortion, defunded Planned Parenthood, and passed several other important pro-life measures including numerous pro-life provisions in the General Appropriations Act, HB 1.

1. Defund Planned Parenthood (HB 1, General Appropriations Act by Rep. John Otto/Sen. Jane Nelson)

• Continue exclusions from funding for women's health programs ($29 of $31 million/yr) by Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Rider 63 and Health and Human Services Commission Riders 29, 74, 85, 87, and 88.
• Exclude Planned Parenthood from the Breast and Cervical Cancer Services program, resulting in an additional loss of $1.4 million/yr by DSHS Rider 72.

• Keep written, notarized parental consent requirement.
• Reform the judicial bypass process to eliminate loopholes. Stop venue shopping, increase standard of evidence, lengthen timeline, separate guardian-ad-litem and attorney-ad-litem, etc.

• Require abortion facility workers and volunteers to undergo training to recognize and assist victims of human sex trafficking.

• Create a right to food and water at the end of life if the patient or family desire it.
• Maintain conscience protections for doctors so they are not forced to provide harmful or unethical treatments indefinitely.

• Provide state-created educational materials to parents of unborn babies diagnosed with Down syndrome without referrals for abortion.

• Ban on Medicaid funding for sexuality training education to abortion providers or their affiliates (HHSC Rider 31 by Rep. Jeff Leach).
• Limit sexuality education spending to only programs that comply with each of the federal A-H components of abstinence education and write an annual report to be submitted to the Legislature on contractor compliance (DSHS Rider 53 by Rep. Four Price and Rep. Molly White).

• $2.5 million/yr for Texas Heart Institute Adult Stem Cell Program (HB 1, General Appropriations Act).
• $1 million/ yr for umbilical cord stem cell banks (HB 1, General Appropriations Act).
• Create the Texas Adult Stem Cell Research Consortium (HB 177 by Rep. Bill Zedler/Sen. Paul Bettencourt).

• Require reporting of sponsors of research in public communications (amendment by Rep. Phil King to HB 1295 and SB 20).
• Require universities to respond to public information requests for the sponsor information (amendment by Sen. Kelly Hancock to HB 1295).

• DSHS Rider 14 and HHSC Rider 8 continue to require contractors to report suspected child abuse, including statutory rape.
• HHSC Riders 31 and 86 continue to prohibit dispensing prescription drugs such as birth control drugs and devices to minors without parental consent.