AUSTIN (LifeSiteNews) — Pro-life lawmakers in Texas forced out the state medical board director after it was revealed he was also working for a Planned Parenthood lab.
State Rep. Briscoe Cain called for Dr. Robert Bredt’s firing as the medical director of the state’s board. Lawmakers found out recently that Bredt also works for Planned Parenthood South Texas Laboratory and has done so since 2011, according to the Texas Tribune.
Bredt’s other occupation history came out during a battle over a medical doctor being punished by the state for her advice on treating COVID. Bredt was submitted by the Texas Medical Board, which is investigating Dr. Mary Bowden, as an expert. His resume shows he began working at Planned Parenthood the year before he was also hired to be the board’s director.
Cain raised “impartiality” concerns in his December 30, 2024, letter. The Texas Medical Board oversees abortion regulations in the state.
“The conflict of interest inherent in this dual role is evident,” Rep. Cain wrote. “Planned Parenthood’s status as the kingpin of the abortion cartel stands in stark opposition to the policies enacted by our Legislature and the values of the citizens we represent.”
The Republican representative also said, “Texans cannot have confidence in the decisions of a government bureaucrat who affiliates with a criminal enterprise that profits off of killing babies.”
Dr. Bredt “submitted his retirement paperwork on Tuesday,” a spokesperson told the Texas Tribune.
Sen. Brian Harrison, another Republican, has called for an investigation into why Bredt was hired in the first place. “He wants an investigation into the medical board, and the executive branch’s hiring practices, and said he may still push a bill to defund the board itself,” the Texas Tribune reported.
“Grateful for everyone who joined the call to end this insanity after we exposed it 10 days ago,” Harrison said. He also took a victory lap, writing “WE WON,” on X (formerly Twitter).
From @gatewaypundit: Texas State Rep. Brian Harrison wrote to Texas Governor Greg Abbott to ask why someone with extensive ties to the abortion funder plays a major role in regulating healthcare in the state.
Harrison promised to continue calling on the Texas Medical Board to… pic.twitter.com/CBbgFZDPHa
— Brian Harrison (@brianeharrison) January 12, 2025
Harrison previously had called for “all Planned Parenthood officials (to be) removed from state agencies.”
“Texas should be leading the fight against Planned Parenthood – not employing them,” he wrote December 31 on X.
He wrote the following day:
If this Planned Parenthood official is not removed soon, I will file legislation to cut all funding to the Texas Medical Board.
Texas needs bold leadership.
I will not tolerate a literal abortionist being the top regulator of doctors and nurses in our great, pro-life state!
As previously noted by LifeSiteNews, Texas has some of the country’s strongest pro-life protections, including a near-total ban that prohibits abortion except when a woman has a “life-threatening physical condition” and is allegedly “at risk of death” or “substantial impairment of a major bodily function,” though abortion is never medically necessary or justifiable.
Attorney General Ken Paxton has also tried to stop the flow of dangerous abortion drugs into the state, filing a lawsuit against a New York doctor who operates a mail-order abortion drug business.