By Shelley Kofler, KERA News
AUSTIN – The battle over abortion resumes in Austin today. Governor Perry has called lawmakers back to pass restrictions that were derailed last week by protesters and Sen. Wendy Davis’ filibuster. Both sides on the issue want activist groups involved.
It was the roar from hundreds of protesters in the gallery and hundreds more in the capitol’s rotunda that so disoriented Republican senators they didn’t get the abortion bill signed before the midnight deadline.
Gov. Rick Perry called them an unruly mob.
RICK PERRY: “What we witnessed Tuesday was nothing more than the hijacking of the democratic process.”
But State Rep. Chris Turner, an Arlington Democrat, says the crowd was just reacting to the refusal of GOP leaders and the lieutenant governor to call on female Democratic senators.
CHRIS TURNER: “It demonstrates that when politicians overreach the people will stand up to make their voices heard and that’s what happened and that’s a good thing.”
The state Democratic Party clearly thinks the activists are a powerful political weapon, which is why it’s blasting out emails urging pro-choice forces to show up on the steps of the capitol at noon today to make themselves heard again. Gov. Perry is taking their people-power seriously.
PERRY: “Take your phone out and I want you to text in the word ‘life’,”
At the National Right-To-Life convention in Dallas last week, Perry told anti-abortion activists to text him their contact information because he wants to rally their support .
PERRY: “We have to match their intensity, but do it with grace and civility.”
If the same restrictions are in the next bill it will call for a ban on most abortions after 20-weeks of pregnancy; a requirement that abortion doctors have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, and clinics allowing abortions meet new certification standards. Pro-choice groups have said the restrictions are so strict most of the abortion providers in Texas would have to close their doors. Sen. Wendy Davis the Fort Worth Democrat who filibustered the last bill to a point where it could be killed admits doing that again is very unlikely.
WENDY DAVIS: “I think they’ll be smarter about their time management this time. I think they’re going to cram this thing down the throats of Texans.”
But Davis like many other pro-choice Democrats say they’re going to fight their Republican colleagues every step of the way.
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