Texas democrats abortion, Republican state lawmakers on Friday were poised to pass a bill to sharply restrict abortions in the state, rebuffing a challenge from Democratic legislators, who derailed the measure last month with help from a marathon filibuster.The law would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, with only rare exceptions, adding Texas to a list of about dozen states with a similar cutoff. It would also impose strict limits on abortion providers, which supporters of abortion rights say could effectively shut down most abortion clinics in Texas, the second most populous state, with about 26 million residents.
Republican Gov. Rick Perry, an abortion opponent, called lawmakers into a second special session to approve the abortion measure after its June defeat, and he is expected to sign it into law as early as next week.
The standoff between Democrats and Republicans in Austin turned the state capital into the center of the national abortion debate this past week, with supporters and opponents of abortion rights staging rallies and packing hearings to voice their views.
The debate garnered international attention after last month’s filibuster by Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth, who spoke against the measure for more than 11 hours, helping to run out the clock and prevent the bill’s passage before the midnight close of a special legislative session.
On Friday, Republicans took pains to avoid a reprise of their earlier defeat, taking the measure to the floor of the state Senate Friday afternoon, well before the special session ended. Democrats, a distinct minority in the Texas legislature, conceded before the vote that they likely lacked the muscle to stop the bill’s passage this time.
As lawmakers began debating the bill, chants from activists could be heard outside the Texas Senate chambers. Republican Lieutenant Gov. David Dewhurst, who presides over the Texas Senate, warned members of the public seated in a gallery that outbursts wouldn’t be tolerated.
Democratic state Sen. John Whitmire of Houston, the body’s longest-serving member, said the law would curb access to abortions for poorer women, forcing many to take measures such as buying abortion pills at flea markets or in Mexico.
Sen. Glenn Hegar, a Houston-area Republican and chief sponsor of the measure in the Senate, said he had spoken to many doctors and experts who believe the bill would benefit women by improving the quality of providers.
“My intent is not to decrease the number of [abortion providers] but to increase the quality of the care,” he said.
The bill would require medical clinics that perform abortions to qualify as ambulatory surgical centers—a designation now met by only five or six of the state’s 42 abortion providers, according to various testimony. Critics say it would disproportionately affect lower-income women in rural areas, who may not have the means to travel to the clinics, all in urban centers, which would meet the new rules.
The proposal also would require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital, which could further restrict abortions, as some hospitals oppose the procedure, said Jordan Goldberg, who tracks state legislation for the Center for Reproductive Rights, which backs abortion rights.
“The impact of the Texas bill would be unmatched,” she said, noting that millions of women reside in the state.
Supporters of the legislation say it provides safeguards for a potentially dangerous procedure that is sometimes performed in substandard conditions. They cite the case of Philadelphia physician Kermit Gosnell, who was convicted of murder this year for killing three babies with scissors after they were born alive at his clinic.
“If [abortion providers] are not up to the standards of ambulatory surgical centers, they may not be safe,” said Alexa Coombs, external relations director for Students for Life of America. The Virginia-based organization bused students from across the country to Austin this week to voice support for the abortion bill.
Recent state moves on abortion
New York governor’s push to allow late-term abortions when they would protect a woman’s health is defeated.
North Carolina is weighing a law that would close about two-dozen abortion clinics.
A judge temporarily blocked a Wisconsin law to ban doctors without admitting privileges from performing abortions.
The Illinois Supreme Court cleared the way this week for a law that would require doctors to notify a girl’s parents before an abortion.
Title: Texas democrats abortion
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