The Money, Groups, and Lawmakers Behind the Texas Abortion Ban

Mapping the wealthy conservative donors, anti-abortion lobbying groups, and Republican lawmakers that supported the passage of Texas SB 8.

Texas Senate Bill 8, which bans abortion after 6-weeks of pregnancy, was passed by the Texas legislature and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott.

This interactive network analysis map of the anti-abortion movement in Texas, provides a tool for understanding the relationships between wealthy conservative donors, anti-abortion lobbying organizations, and the Republican lawmakers that supported the passage of the Texas abortion ban.

The co-authors of SB 8 have each previously co-authored or co-sponsored other types of anti-abortion legislation, including bans on abortion after 20-weeks of pregnancy, bans on the most common type of second trimester abortion procedure, and so-called “Trigger Laws”— which would ban abortion in the state in the event that the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade. 

The Texas abortion ban is the latest evolution in the strategies and tactics of a dynamic movement that has aggressively accelerated towards the ultimate goal of not simply overturning Roe v Wade, but the complete elimination of legal abortion and eventually criminalizing the physicians that provide abortion services AND the pregnant people that seek abortion care. 

This is what anti-abortion activists mean when they say “make abortion unthinkable.”

The Donors

The fracking billionaire brothers from Frisco, Texas, Farris and Dan Wilks, are the largest funders of the anti-abortion movement in Texas. Since 2015, the Wilks brothers have made a combined $9.6 million in campaign contributions to state candidates and political action committees, and more than $80 million in grants through their nonprofit charitable foundations to anti-abortion advocacy organizations. 

Since 2015, the Wilks brothers have made a combined $2.8 million in campaign contributions to Texas Right to Life PAC, and an additional $232,500 in campaign contributions to the co-authors of SB 8.

Other notable funders of the anti-abortion movement in Texas are Timothy Dunn, who has made $175,000 in campaign contributions to the Texas Right to Life PAC and $95,000 in campaign contributions to the campaign committees of co-authors of SB 8; and Kyle Stallings, who has made $82,000 in campaign contributions to the Texas Right to Life PAC and $67,000 in campaign contributions to the campaign committees of co-authors of SB 8.

The co-authors of Texas SB 8 have received campaign contributions from some of the most influential conservative donors in Texas, including the Wilks Brothers, Kathaleen Wall and Holloway Frost, Timothy Dunn, and Kyle Stallings.

Foundations 

The National Christian Foundation (NCF) is among the largest funders of the U.S. Christian Right, and each year awards more than $1 billion in grants to organizations throughout the country.

Since 2015, the NCF has awarded more than $8 million in grants to organizations that directly supported the Texas abortion ban, including $62,850 to Texas Values; $81,349 to the Texas Right to Life Committee Educational Fund; $779,800 to Susan B. Anthony List; $785,385 to Students for Life; $907,840 to Concerned Women for America; and $5.4 million to the Human Coalition.

Schwab Charitable Fund, a donor-advised charitable foundation, and Shell Oil Company Foundation, a corporate foundation that provides funding to “promote community, education, and the environment,” have both awarded donations to the anti-abortion organizations that directly supported the Texas abortion ban.

How to Navigate the Map

Lawmakers: The lawmakers include a link to their Follow the Money profile (Campaign finance data collected by the National Institute on Money in Politics), Texas Tribune profile (Biographical and contact information collected by the Texas Tribune), and the Rewire News Group Legislative Tracker (Anti-abortion legislation that lawmakers previously introduced or sponsored from 2013 to 2019).

Anti-Abortion Movement: Groups and individuals associated with the anti-abortion movement are highlighted in red, and include links to tax records from the groups’ 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations (IRS 990 tax data collected and published by ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer), and Follow the Money profile (Campaign finance data collected by the National Institute on Money in Politics).

Donors: The donors that have funded the anti-abortion movement include biographical information, and links to their Follow the Money profile (Campaign finance data collected by the National Institute on Money in Politics).

Foundations: The foundations that have funded the anti-abortion movement include the total amount of donations and grants awarded since 2015 (This data is incomplete, as some foundations have not fully disclosed the identities of the groups that were awarded donations and grants), and links to the tax records of the 501(c)(3) organizations (IRS 990 tax data collected and published by ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer). 

Following the Money: Campaign contributions are highlighted in green. Foundation donations and grants are highlighted in blue. 

Tags and Categories: Selecting an tag or category will display all the elements and connections that share that tag or category. 

Follow Radical Reports on Twitter: @RadicalReports

Like Radical Reports on Facebook: @Radical Reports

Questions or Suggestions? Email: radicalreportsnewsletter@gmail.com