Texas Group Tours to Promote 'Choose Life' License Plates

A Texas pro-life group has taken their efforts to promote "Choose Life" license plates on the road, touring the state in hopes of building grassroots support toward legislation on the issue.

On Saturday, Texas Alliance for Life launched a statewide tour to raise awareness about the specialty license plates. The tour is co-sponsored by Concerned Women for America Texas.

The Choose Life plates will help "promote adoption, and other compassionate alternatives to abortion," according to the "Choose Life Texas Tour" Web site, which notes that Texas has accommodated over 130 specialty license plates.

If the pro-life specialty plate is approved for use in the state, according to advocates, it could mean more funds would go to assist women experiencing a crisis pregnancy.

Texas drivers would pay $30 for the Choose Life plates, $22 of which will go toward pro-life causes and $8 will cover Texas Department of Transportation's production costs.

According to Texas Alliance for Life, they are already on the road in 19 states raising over $9 million for adoption and other compassionate alternatives to abortion.

Other states are joining in the movement.

Earlier this year, the federal appeals court in San Francisco approved "Choose Life" plates in Arizona, upholding plaintiffs' constitutional right to free speech. The state of Missouri also allowed the specialty license plate. However, pro-life supporters in South Carolina were turned down.

Advocates on the "Choose Life Texas Tour" were scheduled to tour until Sept 22. but Hurricane Ike has forced some of the meetings in Houston and Galveston to be canceled.

The group visited Austin, Waco and Dallas earlier this week and is stopping by Fort Worth on Tuesday, San Antonio on Wednesday and Corpus Christi for a meeting that is open to the public on Thursday.

Texas Alliance for Life says the Texas Legislature must pass a bill to create the plate when it meets in January.