Related links: Poll: Abortion Support at Lowest Point in Three Years, Pro-Life at HighestHotAir: What’s been the impact of pro-abortion agitation outside the special session of the Texas legislature in Austin? Perhaps nothing more than focus. After defeating a series of amendments designed to weaken the late-term abortion ban the session was called to debate, the core bill passed by a 2-1 margin on its second reading in the lower chamber — four more ayes than the same bill got in the previous session.
The bill will move to the state Senate after a third reading and vote, where no amendments can be offered and the House has to give the bill an up-or-down vote. That’s why the final vote is not expected to change much from yesterday, and why it shouldn’t take long for the third reading and vote. That is, unless the legislature gets disrupted again as it did last month, but the state of Texas has been much more prepared for that potential in this session than the previous.
The hero of late-term abortion defenders in that session, state Senator Wendy Davis, has more or less run up the white flag this time, thanks to the heightened security in the chamber.
“Voices crying out” have been heard for the last two weeks at the capitol, with demonstrators protesting constantly. What Davis is lamenting is that the demonstrators can’t shout the legislature into paralysis, using mob rule to get her way rather than representative democracy. That’s a strange position for an elected legislator to take, and I doubt she’d be so sanguine about mob rule if it was a tax hike under consideration and Tea Party activists in the gallery.
Just to remind Davis and others about the nature of the demonstrations, 62% of Texans favor a ban on late-term abortions — so it looks as though the voices of a large majority of Texans are being heard in the legislature. As another reminder, only a few demographics support abortion on demand throughout pregnancy outside of a margin of error; 50% of women support a 20-week abortion ban nationwide, according to a National Journal poll last month. It’s Davis’ side that’s in the minority … which is why she’s cheering mob rule rather than representative democracy.
Texas Passes Legislation Banning Late-Term Abortions
UPDATE: Final passage with WOMEN leading the way! Now on to the state Senate...
PJMedia: After a day of debate and another classy move by the pro-Planned Parenthood side, the Texas House passed HB2 last night. The vote wasn’t close — 98-49. Five Democrats joined all but one of the Republicans in voting for the measure.
The bill was sponsored in the House by state Rep. Jodie Laubenberg from Parker. In case her name isn’t a giveaway, Laubenberg is a woman.
It’s kind of a mystery why the mainstream media keep lauding state Rep. Wendy Davis (D-Ft. Worth) while pretending that Laubenberg, Carter, et al don’t exist. And by “mystery” I mean it’s perfectly obvious why the media pretend those women don’t exist: They disrupt the narrative.
The bill now moves to the state Senate, where it is championed by state Sen. Donna Campbell. Campbell is an emergency room physician in central Texas.
A curious pattern has emerged with respect to Dr. Campbell’s sponsorship of the late-term abortion bill. Rather than acknowledge that she is a medical doctor, pro-abortion activists have taken to insulting her by calling her an ophthalmologist. The activists may not be aware that ophthalmology is one of the more difficult specialties within medicine and does not equal optometry.
Then again, the pro-abortion side has chosen to wield careless insults throughout the debate. They’re standing with a greedy, dishonest, abusive corporate welfare queen — Planned Parenthood — to fight against a reasonable and modest bill that the majority of Texans, women and men, support.
Update: Meanwhile, the Texas Democrats haven’t updated their abortion tactics since circa 1977.
