According to a review by American Ledger, GOP Texas State Representative Matt Shaheen (HD-66) serves on the board of Prestonwood Pregnancy Center, an extreme anti-choice organization that owns and operates crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) — facilities explicitly designed to lure or confuse people who may be seeking an abortion or other critical reproductive health care. Rep. Shaheen potentially committed a misdemeanor by not disclosing his board position.

In July, Prestonwood opened its second CPC across the street from a Planned Parenthood location. Earlier in the year, all abortion clinics in Texas were temporarily shut down under an executive order by Texas Governor Greg Abbott that was widely critized by medical professionals. Gov. Abbott’s order allowed CPCs — which do not provide any essential care, do not have medical licenses, and are expressly built to lure people away from medical facilities — to stay open.

Rep. Shaheen supported Gov. Abbott’s executive order, which directly benefited deceptive religious non-profits like Prestonwood. Additionally, Rep. Shaheen has worked to bolster CPCs while serving in the Legislature, co-sponsoring a bill that stopped public funds from going to abortion providers and barred them from receiving funding to work on public health emergencies. Rep. Shaheen has also pushed to increase taxpayer spending on CPCs like Prestonwood while failing to disclose his Prestonwood board position on his personal financial disclosure forms, as required by Texas state law.

Rep Shaheen has repeatedly used his political power to boost an anti-woman, ideological organization that he has a stake in during an unprecedented pandemic, endangering Texans seeking life-saving health care.

Rep. Shaheen is running for reelection to the Texas Legislature in 2020.