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
Important days are tomorrow, tuesday and wednesday. I will be there Monday for certain. I may be there Tuesday and Wednesday depending on how things go.
If you are interested in going to the Capitol, send me an email and I’ll help you get in touch with folks.
If I was in the Texas legislature, I would vote “nay.”
The bill is immoral and unconstitutional.
“Late Term Abortion” = Killing the child with only its head sticking into the mother’s vagina. Baby killers view this as abortion simply because the entire head of the child hasn’t been seen. There is no medical reason whatsoever that necessitates killing children like this. None.
“The bill is immoral and unconstitutional.”
Care to explain how it is immoral and unconstitutional?
Go Texas!
Like CodeToad said, please explain how preventing the murder of a child is "immoral".
Prayers up for you and ALL who are speaking up for the unborn.
Sure. Though I probably don’t have time to cover all the ways.
First, it fails the Fourteenth Amendment equal protection test.
“No State shall deprive any person of life without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The bill uses an arbitrary, capricious “pain” test, without ever explaining any logic for such a test being in any way pertinent. I call this the “don’t worry they won’t feel a thing” codification of permission to kill little babies. One must wonder if, to be consistent, they’re going to “legalize” killing paraplegics. After all, they won’t feel a thing! Or, if you give Grandma enough morphine, is it alright to do away with her? Won’t feel a thing! In any case, personhood is the only legitimate moral and constitutional criteria, not pain nor age.
This legislation actually serves to create a new class of subhumans. Those who they claim can’t feel pain.
And the bill would be piling bad code on top of already bad Texas code.
Ten years ago in Sept., in the wake of the Lacey Peterson murder in CA, Rick Perry and the Republican legislature passed a bill that rightfully recognized the obvious personhood of the child in the womb, which is line with our nation’s core principles and the imperative equal protection demand of our Constitution. Sadly, though, they included another paragraph that provided explicit permission for abortionists to kill innocent little persons.
Folks forget that it was Texas lawmakers, and their failure prior to 1973 to explicitly provide equal protection for the unborn that opened the door to Roe vs. Wade.
They’re continuing in the horrible tradition, sadly.
If they really care about ending abortion, it’s very simple. Provide equal protection for all persons. Simply strip out the 2003 language that gives “legal” permission to kill babies. Since they also recognized the individual personhood of the child in the womb at the same time, in the code, abortion will then be illegal everywhere in Texas, as it should be.
It doesn't protect a single child. It simply says 'kill 'em on schedule,' or, failing that, get the mass murdering abortionist, or the person hiring them, to lie.
And in exchange for no protection, you get to sacrifice the laws of nature and nature's God, the principles of the Declaration of Independence, all of the clauses of the stated purposes of the Constitution, and the explicit equal protections of the Fifth and the Fourteenth Amendments.
What a deal.
How would you like it if YOUR rights were "protected" in this way? How about a law that says it's okay to kill "jeffc" as long as you do it by Sept.? Would that be just, or legitimate, or moral, or constitutional?
“This legislation actually serves to create a new class of subhumans. Those who they claim can’t feel pain.”
Gotta agree there.
Why is Perry pushing so hard to get this? I was under the impression it at least banned late term abortions by banning anything past 20 weeks. Not enough for me, but it’s a start.
The bill also promises to nullify itself, once its restrictions are found to impose an “undue burden” or “substantial obstacle” in the way of ANY pregnant woman in her ability to have an abortion.
In effect, the bill pledges to enable every woman to have an abortion.
This is just more phony NRTL theater. And very bad “law.”
P.S. I agree with your ENTIRE post. Well said.
Because NRTL was meeting in Texas, and he needed to grandstand.
probably designed to be struck down in court
?
Perry gets a F- for this one. This isn’t supporting children and banning abortion. This is nothing but a sneak attack on further pro-abortion legislation.
I have often asked people, “Why do YOU, personally, need to have abortions? Why? What need is it of yours to kill your baby?” Never a response. They tend to look away in shame.
you mean its unnecessarily bloated with pap?
I can buy that
I messaged you and didn’t hear back.
It’s an incremental process. The same way we got to where we are today.
The first step is getting laws on the books that recognize arbitrary termination of a pregnancy is wrong, even if it is at 20 weeks. Then you move on to the next step.
Going after the whole pie hasn’t worked; this time the activists are trying the “one piece at a time” approach.
After 40 years of setbacks, the pro-life movement needs some wins, no matter how small they may seem.
IMO.
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