I told y'all this bill will pass.
I don't see how Democrats live in Texas.
Texas House tentatively approves sweeping abortion restrictions | Dallasnews.com - News for Dallas, Texas - The Dallas Morning News
Texas House tentatively approves sweeping abortion restrictions
AUSTIN -- House Republicans pushed through a series of sweeping abortion restrictions Tuesday after beating down nearly two dozen amendments from Democrats and disregarding repeated warnings from critics that the legislation is unconstitutional.
Tentative approval of the bill came just over a week after Gov. Rick Perry convened the current special session on abortion and it left Democrats with few options to derail the measure as it now heads to a receptive, GOP-controlled Senate.
The bill was approved on a 98 to 49 vote following several hours of debate. The vote was largely along party lines. A final vote is scheduled for Wednesday.
Among its key provisions is a ban on abortions after 20 weeks, except in cases to save the life of the woman or if the fetus has severe abnormalities. The legislation also requires all abortion clinics to meet the same high standards as ambulatory surgical centers by September 2014 and it mandates that doctors performing abortions have hospital privileges within 30 miles of their clinics.
Republicans argued the new regulations are necessary to protect the health of women seeking abortions and also to prevent fetuses older than 20 weeks from experiencing pain caused by the procedure.
Democrats countered that there are no safety problems with clinics in Texas and said the legislation is really about reducing access to abortions for Texas women. They insisted the bill violates the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision that guarantees women the right to an abortion.
“This bill will be held unconstitutional. It has been held unconstitutional in other states,” warned Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas. “These decisions [about an abortion] are difficult and they should be made by a woman and her physician…not the Legislature.”
Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, was more blunt.
“Let's call it what it is. The intent is to end abortions in Texas. This is a recipe for litigation and once it passes it will be in court as quick as you can say quick,” he told House members.
Several amendments offered by Democrats -- including one by Anchia and another by Turner -- offered a glimpse of the arguments that will be made in the lawsuit. Anchia proposed that women with serious health complications be exempted from the 20-week ban while Turner proposed that the requirement of nearby hospital privileges for doctors be eased.
Rep. Jody Laubenberg, R-Parker, author of the bill, rejected all amendments that were offered and the Republican majority voted with her down the line, leaving her proposed restrictions intact.
“A woman undergoing this procedure should have the highest standard of care,” she asserted. “Anything that improves the [abortion] facility is going to provide better health care for women.”
Asked why abortions should be subject to more rigid standards than other medical procedures, Laubenberg replied, “Abortion is the only procedure where the outcome is the taking of a life.”
Noting that her bill is called the “Preborn Pain Act,” she said studies show that fetuses can experience pain at 20 weeks of pregnancy.
“This legislation is based on the pain that the baby will feel at five months,” she explained.
The House gallery was packed with spectators on both sides of the issue, one day after anti-abortion and abortion rights groups held large Capitol rallies to sway lawmakers on the issue.
A Senate committee listened to nearly 15 hours of testimony on an identical abortion bill in a hearing the ended early Tuesday morning. The panel held up a vote until it receives the House measure later this week.
Legislative leaders have vowed they won't be caught in the same situation that occurred during another special session last month, when a Democratic filibuster killed an abortion measure on the last day of the session. This time, Republicans hope to complete work on the measure within the first two weeks of the session, which can last up to 30 days.
During more than 10 hours of debate on Tuesday, Democrats criticized the argument that fetuses can feel pain at 20 weeks and called into question the studies used to promote the legislation.
An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2005 concluded that a fetus probably does not feel pain before 29 or 30 weeks.
Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston also argued the bill would increase the cost of abortions by forcing clinics to upgrade to the same standards as ambulatory surgical centers. One analysis indicated the improvements would cost an average $1.5 million per facility while also boosting operating costs by $40,000 a month.
The additional costs would force all but a handful of clinics in urban areas to close their doors, according to some experts.
In addition to Democratic warnings, Republicans also were told by one of their own -- Rep. Sarah Davis of Houston -- that major sections of the bill are in conflict with previous court rulings on abortion.
“I believe this body is getting ready to pass legislation that is unconstitutional,” she said. “No one wants to see abortion, but it is a constitutionally guaranteed right. I ask you to put policy over politics.
“Now is not the time to play political football with women.”
Her amendment to exempt women who are victims of rape or incest from the 20-week prohibition was defeated at Laubenberg's urging.
Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, said the legislation would leave lower income women with few or no options on a legal abortion, particularly those who are raped or victims of incest.
“Have you thought about how many women you will drive back to the coat hanger days, where they can't afford to have a legal procedure?” she asked Republicans. “You are creating a class separation where the wealthy can get an abortion whenever they want and the poor are up a creek without a paddle.”
Republicans, meanwhile, rejected the notion that they are attacking the rights of women as critics have suggested.
“I respect the rights of every woman in this state and this country, and I shall not be accused of waging a war on women,” said Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas. “We are fighting this fight because of innocent human life. Our intentions are honorable because we are fight for human baby lives.”
In addition to the 20-week ban and new requirements for clinics and physicians, the bill also puts tighter standards on use of abortion-inducing drugs.
Follow Terrence Stutz on Twitter at @t_stutz.
AT A GLANCE: Bill's restrictions
The abortion restrictions approved Tuesday by the House:
20-week ban: Would prohibit doctors from performing abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Current state law bars the procedure after 26 weeks.
Clinic standards: Would require any doctor's office or clinic that performs more than 50 abortions a year to meet standards established for outpatient surgical centers, which would force 32 of 37 to remodel or close down.
Abortion pill: Would require doctors to perform a complete examination before administering pills to induce an abortion and perform a follow-up exam within 14 days. They must follow Food and Drug Administration protocols for administering the drugs, which are no longer best practices for most OB-GYNs.
Admitting privileges for doctors: Would require doctors who perform abortions to have permission to admit patients to a hospital not more than 30 miles from their offices.
WHAT’S NEXT
A Senate committee is scheduled to consider the bill Thursday. The full Senate is expected to vote next week to send the measure to Gov. Rick Perry, who will sign it into law.
fukking Satanic. This bytch truly evil.
@ this video
I have respect this man.
We WON YALL!! WE DID IT. 
