Things don’t appear to be good for Texas’s Goddamn Hero, Filibusterin’ Wendy Davis and her fellow challengers to Texas’s Senate Bill 5, which would impose harsh restrictions on abortion clinics in the Lone Star State. Texas Governor (and former presidential candidate) Rick Perry has announced that there’s going to be a re-do, and that another Special Session will take place starting July 1, with SB 5 in the spotlight.

From the spectacular Texas Observer:

Once again, legislation restricting abortion — the same package Davis and her fellow Democrats worked so hard to stop with a filibuster and dramatic midnight showdown — will be front and center. With Republicans in the majority in both chambers, it would seem that only the time and date of passage are in doubt now.

“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,” Perry said in a brief written statement about the upcoming 30-day session.

It’s another way of saying the governor, who got elected to statewide office when Democrats still ruled the state virtually unchecked, isn’t about to let them decide what happens on a major policy matter now that the GOP is in charge — particularly a wedge issue like abortion.

…

Congratulating Perry on standing up to the “mob” that he blamed for derailing the abortion bill, Dewhurst said Wednesday that state leaders were “willing to stand up in the face of pressure from Washington and special interest groups in the pursuit of freedom.” He got more aggressive in a fundraising letter seeking to capitalize on the incident, saying “Obama-style” protesters would stop at nothing to “undermine conservative Texas values.”

Democrats, meanwhile, ripped Perry for calling a new session, saying it will do little more than waste money and punish women.

“Rick Perry is more concerned with feeding his own political ambitions — even if that means dictating to millions of Texans what they can and cannot do in the most private aspects of their lives,” said longtime Texas Democratic strategist Matt Angle. “Even if it means forcing Texas citizens to pay for his expensive partisan pandering.” 


Something appears to be rotten in the state of Texas — but considering that political gamesmanship won the evening on Tuesday, all’s fair here for Texas’s top elected executive.

This article appears in Jun 27 – Jul 3, 2013.

9 replies on “A Texas SB 5 Update: Rick Perry Is Dragging The Bill Back From the Dead”

  1. OK y’all while you are at home this evening reading facebook please give yourself a sticky note of a big To DO: Call Gov Perry’s office and tell him you want freedom of choice (512) 463-2000. The anti-choice whackos are out in force, we need to counteract that. If Wendy stood for 12 hours we can call!

  2. Do you even know what was in SB5? I am so tired of “low information” commenters. Here’s the facts:
    SB 5 accomplishes four main goals. It prohibits abortions after 20 weeks, a time at which it has been shown that the fetus can experience pain [a woman should know if she wants to have her baby by 20 weeks]. It improves women’s healthcare by requiring that abortions, like other similar procedures, to be performed in ambulatory surgical centers which have greater health and safety requirements than current abortion clinics [oh, golly, a clean surgical area]. It requires doctors performing abortions in Texas have credentials for a hospital within 30 miles of where they are performing an abortion [do you know how many women have died because the doctor made a serious error? Oh I forgot, a woman may have to drive a few miles to get to a clean clinic for the procedure]. Lastly, it also increases restrictions on abortion inducing drugs by having a doctor provide such drugs [gee, a doctor giving a drug vs an assistant, be still my heart]. This bill does not change abortions <20 weeks (except for a clean clinic and hospital nearby), it also allows for health of mother and viability of the baby at birth, so tell me what is so wrong?
    The same people who cry over a hurt puppy, have no qualms about killing a beating heart.

  4. I just read that Lifestyle Lift surgeries are done in doctor’s offices that are not surgical centers. Where’s the outrage and protection of women when it doesn’t involve a uterus?

  5. Setitstraight…. this is all a smokescreen. Many issues come up with birth defects and other problems later in pregnancy, that may require a termination. No one wants to see it happen, but it does happen and who are you to judge whether it should happen. Just because you can hop in a car and drive 4 hours to get to a clinic doesn’t mean everyone else can. So follow Texas’s model. First restrict or deny sex education in schools, while complaining about teen pregnancy, then cut back on Planned Parenthood funding so folks cannot get information about proper pre-natal care or birth control, force women to go to term on babies they cannot afford to have. Then remove all free daycare so the mother can return to work, then complain about the free loaders draining the state budgets. Make no mistake, there is no health issues involved, there are no concerns about the safety of the mother, this is simple pandering to anti-choice. Thank you Wendy Davis for standing up for women all over Texas.

  6. The real fact is that Gov. Perry does NOT want any health care in his state. He hates women and is opposed to any laws that help them.

  7. do you know that NO OTHER outpatient procedure in TX requires admitting privileges in a hospital within a designated range (i.e. 30 miles, however, SB 5 has that requirement)? did you know that more women die during ‘outpatient’ procedures from plastic surgery than die from abortions? Did you know, according to the Tx DSHS, Abortion procedures and clinics are already highly regulated? For TX Rules/Regulations go here: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/hfp/rules.shtm#abortion

  8. @RobG

    I see one BIG issue with your rebuttal… Intelligence… not necessarily the lack of YOUR intelligence, but that all your stated “issues” could be solved with it.

    “restrict or deny sex education in school”
    .. question for you? Who raised you? Your parents? or your school?.. I learned about sex education from my parents.. not my school. People need to grow up and take responsibility for their actions. If you wanted a child, act like a parent and teach them what you want them to know, stop hoping someone else will.

    “can’t get information on pre-natal care or b-c”
    .. really?? Have you ever heard of this thing called the INTERNET! .. It has more knowledge on every subject known to man than Planned Parenthood could HOPE to have! I learned how to fix a household A/C unit and work on a diesel engine by utilizing it!

    “force women to go to term on babies they can not afford to have”
    Question.. did you choose to have sex? I know I did!.. My daughter was not a surprise to me! I had enough braincells to realize that NOTHING is 100% effective in preventing getting pregnant aside from NOT HAVING SEX! So while I was in a position to not be able to support the RESPONSIBILITIES of sex, I DIDN’T HAVE ANY!

    “so mothers have to go to work”
    You’re going to hate me for this one, lol.. get married before you have kids. Once that little issue is covered.. learn to budget.

    So all in all.. what you should learn from this is that as long as you are a RESPONSIBLE person utilizing INTELLIGENCE!.. that if you can’t afford the outcome of sex, keep your pants on. Those of us WITH braincells shouldn’t have to have our taxes funding programs to cover the ignorance of others.

    You want freedom of choice.. so do I in where my money goes. …and sex-crazed, irresponsible, ignorant folks is not where it should go.

    @ jo… the TX-ACOG is pushing against the bill because it will put medical personnel out of jobs when their ill-fit clinics are shut down… Democrats just pushed like no tomorrow get “better” healthcare… yet when BETTER healthcare is tied to saving a life as well.. you can’t seem to see past the fact that you have to finally be responsible in keeping your legs closed.

    @setitstraight… nicely said.

    food for all of you.. a 21 week old baby reached out of the womb and grasped the doctor’s finger.. tell me a 20 week old is not a person.

    http://www.guardianangel.in/ga/227-P-Popup-Unborn-baby-grabs-surgeon–.html

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