Texas State Senator Proposes Paying Women to Not Have Abortions

A Texas State Senator has proposed paying women $500 each to not abort their babies it was announced today.

The proposal was made by Republican State Senator Dan Patrick, who is also a conservative radio talk show host. He said the money might persuade some women to give their babies up for adoption rather than seek an abortion.

During a legislative conference in New Brussels, Senator Patrick noted there are 75,000 abortions every year in Texas. He noted that if his incentive would cause 5 percent of those women seeking abortions every year, or 3,000 women, that that many lives would be saved.

"We want the lady to have an incentive that makes her stop and think about having an abortion and that gives her reason to put her baby up for adoption," Patrick said in an interview published in the San Antonio News.

Senator Patrick's Senate Bill 1567 was referred to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee Wednesday. A committee hearing has not yet been scheduled for the bill. There are not yet any co-sponsors for the bill in the Texas Senate or House.

Senator Patrick said by paying as many women as possible not to have abortions, he wants to save as many babies as possible. Senator Patrick also has a bill to ban abortion if the United States Supreme Court over reverses its landmark Roe versus Wade ruling in 1973 that legalized abortion.

Critics have said Senator Patrick's bill to pay women not to have abortions does not recognize the complex issues involved when a woman must decide to place her baby for adoption. They have also said his bill comes close to baby selling.

The executive director of one pro-life group supported the goal of supporting adoption but still expressed caution.

Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, said he wants to be sure there "isn't even the perception of baby-buying."

A representative of a group that supports abortion said the proposed bill is terrible.