Texas: ground zero in abortion law

As long as abortion is legal, laws drawing the line somewhere should have been passed a long time ago.

After the trial of notorious late term abortionist Kermit Gosnell revealed the grisly truth about how far the logic of abortion had extended out of public sight, new efforts to regulate the industry and stop the insanity were inevitable. So the Texas legislation wasn’t at all surprising. But the deception and ferocity of its opposition has been stunning.

Pro-abortion Representative Senfronia Thompson, wearing a coat hanger pin on her lapel, had her whole staff hold coat hangers while she talked about her proposed amendment, which would guarantee a woman an abortion up to the point of birth. Rep. Thompson stated that she didn’t want women to resort to back-alley abortions using coat hangers, a knitting needle, a feather, or turpentine as she held up each item.

When asked to describe how babies are currently brutally dismembered by surgical equipment in late-term abortions in clinics, Rep. Thompson conspicuously avoided answering. This only highlighted her clear double standard with regards to concerns for heath and safety.

Watching some of these deliberations on television news, especially Rep. Thompson holding up a coat hanger and talking about back alley abortions, I couldn’t help but think how bizarre it is that this comes so soon after the Gosnell trial exposed him, an abortionist performing abortions in a clinic, as one of the original back alley abortionists using devices worse than coat hangers (scroll down to the end, on the Mother’s Day Massacre). How jarring, the disconnect of this week’s heated argument in a legislative chamber over something so demonstrably gruesome and inhumane.

In spite of desperate antics, the bill passed the Texas House, finally.

Sweeping new abortion legislation, which could close over 35 abortion clinics and protect babies after 20 weeks’ gestation, was approved in a final vote in the Texas House yesterday and is now set for a showdown in the Senate on Friday.

After yesterday’s vote, mayhem broke out amongst pro-abortion protesters, forcing troopers to remove them from the gallery. Five of the boisterous protestors were arrested and held in custody for five hours but were not charged.

In a Facebook posting yesterday, the Texas Alliance for Life confirmed with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst that the Senate would take up the abortion measure on Friday, July 12.

And what was the mayhem about?

The bill, known as HB 2, would ban abortions after 20 weeks, tighten regulations on the dispensing of abortion-inducing drugs, require that abortion clinics meet ambulatory surgical center standards, and mandate that abortionists maintain hospital privileges within 30 miles of their clinics.

What part of that is contestable, at least among people of reason?

“This legislation is so important that Gov. Rick Perry called a second special session to make sure that the women and babies of Texas are protected from Gosnell-like conditions and practices,” said Cheryl Sullenger, senior policy advisor for Operation Rescue, who was present in the Capitol in Austin earlier this week. “Closing dangerous abortion clinics that cannot or will not comply with basic safety standards only makes sense. It is shocking that some are working so hard to put convenience and profit above the lives and health of women and babies that can feel pain.”

“This bill will save untold lives and spare women from being subjected to substandard conditions and barbaric practices,” she said.

On Saturday, it passed the Texas Senate.

In addition to a ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy — a regulation 12 other states have passed, Reuters reports — the bill requires doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and requires clinics meet ambulatory surgical center standards.

To repeat, these are basic regulations that not only the barbaric killing of five month old babies, but secure the same medical safeguards that apply to any other clinic and make abortions that remain legal (all the way up to five months) somewhat safer for women. The angry, vehement opposition to the bill is jarring.

The abortion fight in Texas gained national attention in recent weeks in large part to an 11-hour filibuster by Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis and stunts by protestors.

Indeed, protestors on both sides of the debate descended on the Capitol as lawmakers geared up for the vote, resulting in the Texas Department of Public Safety stepping up security and searching bags.

What they found may have churned more than a few stomachs.

“During these inspections, DPS officers have thus far discovered one jar suspected to contain urine, 18 jars suspected to contain feces, and three bottles suspected to contain paint. All of these items – as well as significant quantities of feminine hygiene products, glitter and confetti possessed by individuals – were required to be discarded; otherwise those individuals were denied entry into the gallery,” the Department described in a statement Friday.

That’s only a partial list of things used by abortion activists to cause mayhem at the Texas Capitol. I interviewed a college student on radio at the end of the week, a pro-life member of the throngs supporting the legislation who rallied, prayed, sang and tried to engage the opposition in discussion. What she reported was disgusting and sad, especially the accounts that involved young children used by the abortion activists to hold signs with repulsive messages on them, including obscene language. This is insane. The college student said the bill’s opponents were screaming and seemingly out of control, having to be held back by security forces.

Brad Mattes of Life Issues called it an epic battle between good and evil.

My goal was to interview people at the rally on both sides of the issue. The pro-lifers happily agreed, but the pro-abortion advocates all refused. They had obviously received their marching orders not to speak to the media. Period. This was undoubtedly the result of bad coverage resulting from their appalling behavior up to that point.

During the last special session when Senator Wendy Davis attempted her filibuster, and mob rule picked up where she failed—dooming the special session—it expired two minutes before the vote passing the bill was completed. As the process unfolded, each side was assigned a room in the capitol building. Opponents totally trashed theirs; requiring it to be completely refurbished with new carpet, paint, etc.

Fresh from their “victory” and feeling their oats, the radical activists continued to show their true colors this past week. While pro-lifers sang Amazing Grace in the Capitol rotunda, abortion activists chanted “Hail Satan!” and “Mary should have aborted Jesus!” As the outdoor pro-life rally wound down, attendees sang along to worship music emanating from large speakers. As they sang, the opposition chanted—and I hesitate to even allude to the content—“F*** the church!”

Who were these political hooligans? Evidence shows…they weren’t there out of a deeply-held conviction. It was a rented mob, bent on causing as much disruption, damage and offense as needed to get their point across. An ad was placed on Craigslist days before the second special session seeking people to show up and protest the bill. The ad offered up to $2,200 a month! Those who phoned the number provided were told they’d be working directly with Planned Parenthood, the group that gets over a half-billion of our federal tax dollars to push their deadly agenda. Many of those who showed up were grungy, smelly and repulsive. Several of their signs had worse content than that scrawled on a public bathroom wall.

First of all, Texans don’t take kindly to this sort of behavior. Second, the Governor and pro-life members of the Legislature were absolutely and unwaveringly determined not to let these thugs trash their cherished building and democracy. It was time for swift action.

The bill will be signed into law this week by Gov. Rick Perry.

As for Texans not appreciating what’s been happening in their statehouse, I received an email from a radio listener who heard my coverage of the abortion battle and interview with the college student who was there. Here’s what the listener said in part:

It has been horrid.  I have lived in Austin for almost all my life and know that it tends very liberal, but this current session has seen a backlash of epic proportions.  There is a war.

A number of people, including some of my radio guests, have called this the real war on women.

I think the thing that saddens me the most is the twisting of truth.  The protesters seriously are protesting because Planned Parenthood has told them that this is a war on women and that you need to stand with Wendy! It makes me sick.  It isn’t even a religious issue, it is a basic human rights issue. I think it’s important to say it’s a battle not about life issues, but about rhetoric.  They know it is life, they want to kill it anyway.  That is what makes it so sad.

Before she signed off, she said she was headed back out to the Capitol, to stand for human rights. And sanity, I might add.