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A JOINT RESOLUTION
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applying to the Congress of the United States to call a convention |
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under Article V of the United States Constitution for the limited |
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purpose of proposing an amendment to the constitution to prohibit |
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abortion, euthanasia, and certain other acts. |
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WHEREAS, Article V of the United States Constitution provides |
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that on application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the |
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several states the Congress of the United States shall call a |
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convention for the purpose of proposing for ratification an |
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amendment to the United States Constitution; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 87th Texas Legislature hereby |
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respectfully applies to the Congress of the United States to call a |
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convention pursuant to Article V of the United States Constitution |
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for the limited purpose of proposing, and submitting for |
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ratification, an amendment to the United States Constitution |
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abrogating Roe v. Wade and clearly prohibiting abortion, |
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euthanasia, and all other acts that deprive any person of life, from |
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the moment of conception to natural death, without due process of |
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law; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the 87th Texas Legislature encourages the |
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delegates to the convention to consider the following recommended |
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text for the proposed constitutional amendment: |
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Section 1. Given that all human life begins at the moment of |
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conception and has inherent dignity and immeasurable worth, a human |
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being, from the moment of conception until death, irrespective of |
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biological development, age, health, function, or condition of |
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dependency, is a person as that term is used in this Article and in |
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the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to this Constitution; |
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Section 2. Euthanasia and abortion are unlawful under the |
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laws of the United States and any territory subject to their |
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jurisdiction; |
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Section 3. Euthanasia includes the intentional, knowing, or |
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reckless rendering of material assistance to aid another person in |
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committing, or attempting to commit, suicide; |
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Section 4. Abortion includes the intentional, knowing, or |
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reckless killing of any person before birth; |
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Section 5. If, in the reasonable opinion of a medical |
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professional or other state or federal official, the mother is in |
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danger of suffering imminent death or serious bodily injury, a |
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person may be removed from the mother's body at the mother's |
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election by natural or artificial methods even if the person cannot |
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survive outside the mother's body; |
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Section 6. The Congress, and the several states, have power |
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to enforce this Article by appropriate legislation; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That this application constitutes a continuous and |
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ongoing application, in accordance with Article V of the United |
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States Constitution, until: (1) the Texas Legislature considers it |
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fitting to rescind the application; or (2) at least two-thirds of |
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the legislatures of the several states have similarly applied for a |
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convention to propose a constitutional amendment and Congress has |
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performed its constitutionally obligated duty to call that |
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convention; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as an |
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application to Congress for a convention under Article V of the |
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United States Constitution for the limited purpose of proposing an |
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amendment to the constitution to prohibit abortion, euthanasia, and |
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all other acts that deprive any person of life, from the moment of |
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conception to natural death, without due process of law; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the secretaries of state and to the |
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presiding officers of the legislatures of the several states with |
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the request that they join this state in applying to Congress for a |
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convention under Article V of the United States Constitution for |
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the limited purpose of proposing an amendment to the constitution |
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to prohibit abortion, euthanasia, and all other acts that deprive |
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any person of life, from the moment of conception to natural death, |
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without due process of law. |