A handful of the same Republicans voted against every bill to help cancer patients or provide early detection, even when there was no fiscal impact.

With the time ticking down to the last day of the 87th legislature, we’re still dissecting everything that’s happened (and still happening) this session. It’s come to our attention that four bills to help cancer patients, which have made it through the House or Senate, and on each one of those bills, a handful of Republicans voted against helping cancer patients.

Unsurprising, many of these Republicans also claim to be pro-life. However, with votes like these, it’s clear they are anything but pro-life. As of January 2019, there were an estimated 16.9 million cancer survivors in the United States. The number of cancer survivors is projected to increase to 22.2 million by 2030.

Below is a list of each bill and which elected officials voted against it.

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This bill has no significant fiscal impact on the state or taxpayers. HB428 will save thousands of lives every year in Texas. It’s a good bill, and it’s passed the House and the Senate. (The Senate votes haven’t been posted yet.) Here are the House members who voted against it:

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HB3951.

HB3951 seeks to eliminate screening barriers and maximize early detection of prostate cancer by prohibiting a health benefit plan from charging any form of cost-sharing for certain prostate cancer screenings.

The American Cancer Society projects that there will be 14,200 new cases of prostate cancer, resulting in 3,320 deaths in Texas in 2021. Research indicates that one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, a likelihood that increases to one in six for African-American men and one in three for men with a family history of prostate cancer. It has been reported that targeting men with higher risk factors for prostate cancer, including veterans and active service members, can reduce health outcome disparities in most populations impacted by the disease. However, the cost of preventive screening services may deter or prevent men from the early detection of prostate cancer.

The fiscal note on this bill says: “costs cannot be determined at this time because HHSC does not have sufficient information regarding how many individuals would be newly eligible for these services nor is it known how many individuals would seek out services.”

This is also a good bill and will save thousands of lives in Texas. Here are the Representatives that voted against it:

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SB1028 seeks to do this by lowering the age at which the coverage requirement applies to 45 years of age and expanding the examinations, preventative services, and laboratory tests that must be covered.

Here are the Representatives that voted against this bill:

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Why would these Republicans repeatedly vote against helping people with cancer?

If you noticed, on each one of these lists, it’s the same Republicans over and over again. Aside from HB3951, which has an unknown fiscal impact, the other three bills have no significant fiscal impact on the state or taxpayers.

These bills will help cancer patients. These bills will save lives. Yet, the same Republicans voted against them.

Why?