Pro-Choice Voters Vow to Hold Them Accountable
Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–July 13, 2013. NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue condemned Texas politicians who skirted the political process to ram through an extreme anti-choice bill, HB2.
“Gov. Perry and his anti-choice colleagues have used their authority to bend the rules in an effort to dismantle women’s reproductive health in Texas,” said Hogue. “Cheating the system to pass HB2 in the face of public opposition creates a slippery slope that threatens democracy. This unconstitutional and unpopular vote not only hurts women, but damages the integrity of state government. This morning’s vote will be remembered as a temporary setback for Texas women, but this vote, and its process, will also seal the fate of the anti-choice politicians who silenced the voices of voters to impose their extreme agenda.”
The impact of the bill is profound – state analysts believe nearly 90% of abortion providers will be forced to close if the restrictions take hold. The bill would subject abortion clinics across the state to medically unnecessary and financially burdensome regulations, ban abortion after 20 weeks with very few exceptions, and make it more difficult for women to get a safe medical abortion.
After it was defeated by Sen. Wendy Davis’s filibuster and history-making public opposition, anti-choice politicians pushed through this extreme bill – which never would have passed under the regular rules – by taking advantage of eased rules made possible by a special session. NARAL Pro-Choice Texas has been a leader on the ground in lobbying elected officials and engaging activism among supporters.
“This bill may receive Gov. Perry’s authorization to close nearly 90% of abortion clinics in the state, but Texans will not abide fewer resources for women to receive the health care that they need,” said Heather Busby, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas. “Texas voters came out in record numbers to oppose this bill every step of the way and they will turn out in record numbers at the next election.”
NARAL Pro-Choice America and NARAL Pro-Choice Texas organized activists who showed up at the Capitol, rallies, wrote letters to their local papers and called their representatives. Hogue, a Texan herself, has also traveled to Texas to rally pro-choice supporters.
Source: http://www.prochoiceamerica.org
