Posted on 07/07/2013 5:20:04 PM PDT by Morgana
Governor Rick Perry appeared on a Sunday current events television show and pledged that the Texas legislature will pass and he will sign the bill that bans late-term abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
A Texas state House committee approved the bill last week and more legislative action is expected on Monday and Tuesday.
The last attempt to pass the bill was halted in the state Senate with a pro-abortion filibuster but state Sen. Wendy Davis says she will not filibuster the bill a second time.
In his interview, Perry defended comments he made about pro-abortion lawmaker Wendy Davis.
“She was a teenage mother herself,” Perry said of Davis last month. “She managed to eventually graduate from Harvard Law School and serve in the Texas Senate. It’s just unfortunate that she hasn’t learned from her own example that every life must be given a chance to realize its full potential and that every life matters.”
From Perry’s Sunday television appearance:
“We have a special session with some important issues in front of us. We’re going to pass some restrictions on abortion in Texas so that Texas is a place where we defend life. That’s the powerful message here, that’s what we’re focused on,” Perry said on “Fox News Sunday.” “We can be in and out of here in another 10 days… we will get this done and get Texas back focused on the economic interests.”
Perry also defended remarks he’d made that it was “unfortunate” that Davis, a single mother, “hasn’t learned from her own example that every life must be given a chance to reach its full potential and that every life matters.”
“Those comments were meant to be a compliment to her for what she’s accomplished in her life,” Perry said by way of explanation. “My point was that saving a life and letting that life come to its fulfillment and all the good things that happen, you never know who’s going to be considered to be an extraordinary individual.”
The Texas governor also doubled down on criticism of protesters who flooded the state senate’s balcony during the filibuster to shout their support for Davis and opposition to the bill.
“It was the gallery that was out of control, literally out of control… anyone who watched that would consider it to be mob rule,” Perry said. “Rules were followed on the Senate floor. It was the decorum of the Senate chamber that was put in a bad light.”
Perry said he expected disruptive protestors would be removed from the building during the second session.
“The taking of life after twenty weeks is what this is about,” Perry said. “The killing of babies that are viable outside their mom’s bodies after twenty weeks is what this is about. A lot of folks really don’t want to talk about that. They would like to focus on practically anything rather than to say we support that process.”
The bill would ban abortions after 20 weeks and hold abortion clinics accountable by making them meet basic health and safety standards that have closed facilities in other states that are unable to comply. The bill also requires all abortion clinics to meet the same health and safety regulations as an ambulatory surgical center, requires a doctor providing abortions to secure admitting privileges at a nearby hospital, and lastly, requires a doctor to personally administer the abortion-inducing drugs to the patient.The hearing saw the halls packed with over 2,100 people wanting to testify on the bill — with most of them pro-life and supporting it. The final count on the bill was 3,543 who registered a position with the Texas government computer system — 2,181 supporting the bill and 1,335 against it.“In terms of witnesses, the system has never seen overload like this,” said Rep. Helen Giddings, the vice chairwoman of the House State Affairs Committee.The state House is expected to debate the bill on July 9 after the Texas legislature returns from its Independence Day recess.
Perry issued a call for a special session of the Texas legislature to pass the bill that a pro-abortion mob prevented the legislature from passing it.
“I am calling the Legislature back into session because too much important work remains undone for the people of Texas. Through their duly elected representatives, the citizens of our state have made crystal clear their priorities for our great state,” Perry said. “Texans value life and want to protect women and the unborn. Texans want a transportation system that keeps them moving. Texans want a court system that is fair and just. We will not allow the breakdown of decorum and decency to prevent us from doing what the people of this state hired us to do.”
Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst addressed the National Right to Life Convention in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, affirming his commitment to passing protective legislation for mothers and their unborn children in the upcoming second special legislative session.
“I am not discouraged. We will pass this bill out of the legislature,” he said.
The filibuster was not the only impediment to passage of the bill — a noisy group of abortion advocates made it impossible for members of the Senate to conduct business and that may happen again — making it so Dewhurst will need to step up and regain control of the chamber so the bill can be debated and a vote taken.
Texas legislators on Monday filed a new bill to ban abortions after 20 weeks and hold abortion facilities accountable for breaking health and safety laws after a pro-abortion mob derailed the previous bill.
Abortion advocates protested at the state capitol but pro-lifers drowned them out with signing of Amazing Grace. The paid protesters opposing the late-term abortion ban in Texas are also doing more than rallying outside the legislature against the pro-life bill. They’re threatening pro-life state legislators and their staffers.
Call and email YOUR Representative and Senator starting on Monday with a simple message, “Please speak, stand, and vote FOR HB 2. My support will be significantly determined by the vote on this bill.” Visit this link to confirm your correct Representative and Senator: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx
Every single child can be killed under this legislation.
Now you're just making stuff up.
No.
Well then. Are you a Christian?
False.
Now you’re standing in the way of folks who are trying to save babies.
No I'm not. I'm standing in the way of folks who want to continue to throw away the only decent principles that argue against murdering babies, thereby assuring the continuation of abortion on demand.
It’s really easy to sit and do nothing when you know, in your heart that failure is the only option.
You don’t want to succeed. Simple as that. Meanwhile the rest of us carry on and save babies.
We would love to have you fight with us, but you’ve decided we aren’t ‘prolife enough’ for you. Pity.
Yes. Are you?
“No I’m not.”
Yes, you are. That’s why you’re posting here, because you’re hoping to convince others here that you are correct and that the best course of action for prolifers is to sit on their ass and let this bill fail.
I didn’t hear a peep out of you when the bill was going through the TX house. It’s only now that it might succeed that you are getting antsy.
You say you’re concerned about the implications of the bill The text hasn’t changed for a long time.
So why weren’t you sounding the alarm before? Why now do you care?
I’m Catholic, so yes, I am.
Knock if off with the “sit and do nothing” nonsense. Such arguments are beneath you. I’ve been very active in the pro-life movement for the last twenty-five years, on many, many fronts, and I’m rated as a Tier One pro-lifer by American Right to Life.
This is a bad bill. And you have yet to prove otherwise. In other words, your enthusiasm for it is groundless.
So why are you antagonizing other prolifers?
You say you don’t want to help us. Fine. That’s unfortunate, but we’re not gonna stop working to save babies because you find our methods distasteful.
Everyone serves in their own way. You have your way, we have ours.
I've been saying the exact same things for years, in every possible forum. Including Free Republic.
“This is a bad bill. And you have yet to prove otherwise. In other words, your enthusiasm for it is groundless.”
So where was your critique of this bill before?
This bill hasn’t changed. All of a sudden you’re ‘concerned’ for the future of the prolife movement if this bill gets passed.
Yeah, sure. I’m certain you’re ‘concerned’ about us.
Which is worse than Blackmun in Roe. At least he admitted that if they're persons, they're protected by the explicit requirements of the Fourteenth Amendment. Those who you've allied yourself with admit they're persons, and then keep passing lawless laws that grant "legal" permission for certain disfavored classes of persons to be murdered under the color of law.
“I’ve been saying the exact same things for years, in every possible forum. Including Free Republic.”
Ok, well I am gonna be blunt about it. You want this, so do I. So how does you antagonizing other prolifers who want the same thing help you accomplish your goals?
I don’t see it. Maybe you can help guide me through this process...
All over the place. Free Republic. Facebook. Twitter. Numerous pro-life websites.
I’m not trying to antagonize you. I’m simply telling you the truth about this legislation.
“Those who you’ve allied yourself with admit they’re persons, and then keep passing lawless laws that grant “legal” permission”
Oh, I suppose you mean Perry.
Look, I get it that you hate the man with a passion. Don’t let personal prejudice get in the way here. Calling it ‘political theatre’ is disrespectful and insulting to the thousands of prolifers who took time out of their lives to show up on the capitol. Some who drove for days just to give testimony as to the horrible effect that abortion has had on their lives.
Testimony that has been recorded for posterity.
You are making a snap judgement about us, that you would not say if you were actually there and had a chance to sit down and talk to the folks here. All of us want to end abortion. All of us cannot wait to see a law that protects them. But that is not the law in front of us. So we work to pass the one that is in front of us, while establishing testimony as to the horrors of abortion - testimony that works to help for the future.
Anyways, I’ve worked with a lot of folks like you, and I’ll be blunt. When the crunch comes, you don’t show. There’s always an excuse. I’ve had the privilege of working with solid prolifers who get it. I hope you get it too because we need all the help we can get.
Great. It's all spelled out here.
The test for any legislation, judicial opinion, or executive action is whether or not it provides the equal protection for the right to life of every innocent person that the Constitution absolutely requires.
That's the plumb line.
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