Texas Standard for May 24, 2024: Why is Ted Cruz proposing a bill to legislate in vitro fertilization?

After the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are considered children under state law, Democrats raced to pass bills to protect in vitro fertilization. Now, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is pushing a similar bill – but what exactly would it do?

By Texas StandardMay 24, 2024 9:31 am,

Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Friday, May 24, 2024:

Why is Ted Cruz proposing a bill to legislate in vitro fertilization?

After the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are considered children under state law, Democrats raced to pass bills to protect in vitro fertilization.

Now, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is pushing a similar bill – but what exactly would it do? Alice Ollstein, Capitol Hill health care reporter for Politico, joins the Standard with an overview.

Despite a near total ban, Texas Republicans push for further abortion restrictions

The Texas Republican Party is meeting this weekend in San Antonio for its biennial convention, the first since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade.

But despite the conservative victory over abortion rights, many GOP delegates continue to call for tougher state abortion laws. Texas Public Radio’s David Martin Davies reports.

Canadian delegation talks trade with Texas leaders

Ranking behind only Mexico, Canada is Texas’s second-biggest international trade partner. This week, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, visited the state along with Mary Ng, Canada’s minister of export, trade and economic development.

The pair met with state business and political leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott. Ng joins the Standard to discuss Texas and Canada’ trade relations.

A former Robb Elementary teacher shares how his life changed after the school shooting

Today marks two years since a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. Over the past several days, we’ve heard from the parents and siblings of students killed, and other community members.

Arnulfo Reyes was a teacher for 17 years. After he was injured in the shooting, he hasn’t gone back. But he’s still in Uvalde; today, we hear part two of his story.

She counted on her school’s LGBTQ resources. Texas’ anti-DEI law took some of them away

Earlier this year, universities in Texas had to end their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs to comply with a new state law. That included scaling back and, in some cases, shuttering resource centers that served LGBTQ+ students.

KERA’s Juan Salinas II reports on how that’s left students who relied on those resources feeling lost.

How one Harlingen family honors their son killed in Vietnam

In 1966, a young Marine from Harlingen was killed in Vietnam, just days before he was due to return home. Since then, his family has taken steps to keep his memory alive, including naming four of his nephews after him.

Ahead of Memorial Day on Monday, Maggie Rivas-Rodiguez reports there’s one final way they hope to honor his legacy.

Typewriter Rodeo

The gang delivers another custom poem. Reach out to Texas Standard with your topic suggestions!

The week in Texas politics

Texas Tribune managing editor Matthew Watkins stops by with a recap of the week that was in Texas politics.

All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.

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