As most of you have probably heard by now, while speaking before thousands of Texans at the Texas Rally for Life on Saturday January, 22nd, Governor Rick Perry announced that he would be designating the “sonogram” bill as “emergency legislation.” This is fantastic news because it means that legislators can start deliberating on this legislation as soon as, well as soon as last week actually. During the first 60 days of the Texas session, legislators are not allowed to vote on bills, with the exception of “emergency legislation,” so by designating bills regarding informed consent to an abortion, Voter ID, abolishing sanctuary city policies, and reforming eminent domain laws, Governor Perry is allowing the legislature to handle these issues soon and allowing more time for the more pressing issues such as the budget and redistricting.
I happen to believe that this is a very smart move by Governor Perry. Of course, the left is in disagreement because they feel that he is not taking the budget seriously. First off, it’s funny that any Democrat would accuse Republicans of not taking a budget serious when the recently-booted Democrats of the 111th US Congress never got around to writing a budget. This sort of hypocrisy never ceases to amaze me, but as I was saying, Governor Perry is wise to place these issues as “emergency legislation” because these are all issues that Republicans in the 80th and 81st Legislature attempted to deal with but were repeated blocked because of stall tactics from the Democrats. By allowing the legislature to debate these issues in the first 60 days, Governor Perry is in fact freeing up time to tackle the biennial budget and redistricting by giving the minuscule Democratic minority less time to obstruct the legislative session.
The newest piece of “emergency legislation” here is Texas is the “sonogram” bill sponsored by Sen. Dan Patrick and Rep. Geanie Morrison. Both of these legislators were also in attendance at the Texas Rally for Life on Saturday, and both of them reiterated the governor’s remarks that this should not and is not a partisan issue. Sen. Patrick, for instance, remarked that three Democrats voted for the bill the last time it was up. Those Democrats were Sens. Carlos Uresti, Judith Zaffirini, and Eddie Lucio. While this blog is not about the Democratic Party, I would just like to point out that the three Democrats who joined Sen. Patrick on this issue are from Latino-heavy border districts. This just further shows how out of touch the liberals running the Democratic Party are with Latinos. Many people in the Democratic Party and in Texas are pro-life and it would be a shame to see liberals stall this piece of legislation again.
But what exactly is the “sonogram” bill? Well, this bill actually does not ban abortions or anything like that, but it does seek to give women more information so that they may make the right choice. I cannot imagine how any parent can see a picture of their baby or hear their heartbeat without reconsidering all of their options. I thank these legislators for sponsoring this important, life-saving piece of legislation and I urge you to ask your state legislators to support this bill as all it is doing is offering more information to women who may find themselves in a difficult predicament.
Hopefully we will not see Democratic obstructionism again here in Texas during the 82nd legislature, and with these major issue being designated as “emergency” items, we can focus more attention on the budget. There is a lot to be accomplished in such a short legislative session, but due to the strong leadership we have here in Texas, I am confident that the lives of Texans will be greatly improved and some new Texans will actually get a chance at a life.
