Politics

Texas Senate approves 20-week abortion ban

Font Size:

After weeks of high drama and national attention on the Texas Capitol, a bill restricting abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy is heading to the desk of Republican Governor Rick Perry.

The bill, which passed the Texas House earlier this week, passed the Senate early Saturday morning in a 19-11 vote.

Perry is expected to sign the legislation.

In addition to a ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy — a regulation 12 other states have passed, Reuters reports — the bill requires doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and requires clinics meet ambulatory surgical center standards.

The abortion fight in Texas gained national attention in recent weeks in large part to an 11-hour filibuster by Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis and stunts by protestors.

Indeed, protestors on both sides of the debate descended on the Capitol as lawmakers geared up for the vote, resulting in the Texas Department of Public Safety stepping up security and searching bags.

What they found may have churned more than a few stomachs.

“During these inspections, DPS officers have thus far discovered one jar suspected to contain urine, 18 jars suspected to contain feces, and three bottles suspected to contain paint. All of these items – as well as significant quantities of feminine hygiene products, glitter and confetti possessed by individuals – were required to be discarded; otherwise those individuals were denied entry into the gallery,” the Department described in a statement Friday.

While pro-abortion activists were unable to prevent passage of the bill, Davis told protestors after the vote that the fight would continue.

“Tonight is not an ending point, but a starting point as we work to take this state back,” Davis told protestors after the vote, The Washington Post reports.

Perry, who brought lawmkers back in a special session to pass the legislation this month after Davis successfully blocked the bill by running out the clock last session, praised lawmakers for passing the bill.

“Today the Texas Legislature took its final step in our historic effort to protect life,” Perry said in a statement. “This legislation builds on the strong and unwavering commitment we have made to defend life and protect women’s health. I am proud of our lawmakers, and citizens who tirelessly defended our smallest and most vulnerable Texans and future Texans.”

Pro-life activists joined the governor in praise.

“Today, Texas joins other states around the country in passing this life-saving legislation that protects pain-capable unborn children from the excruciating pain of being torn apart in their mothers’ wombs,” Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee, said in a statement. “We commend Governor Perry, pro-life members of the Texas legislature, and the staff and volunteers of our affiliate, Texas Right to Life, for their tireless efforts to see this bill enacted into law.”

Pro-abortion activists condemned Perry and his “anti-choice colleagues,” pointing out that the new regulations could negatively impact the majority of abortion clinics in the state and make it more difficult for women to get a safe abortion.

“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,” NARAL Pro-Choice America president Ilyse Hogue said in a statement.

Follow Caroline on Twitter

PREMIUM ARTICLE: Subscribe To Keep Reading

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign Up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
BENEFITS READERS PASS PATRIOTS FOUNDERS
Daily and Breaking Newsletters
Daily Caller Shows
Ad Free Experience
Exclusive Articles
Custom Newsletters
Editor Daily Rundown
Behind The Scenes Coverage
Award Winning Documentaries
Patriot War Room
Patriot Live Chat
Exclusive Events
Gold Membership Card
Tucker Mug

What does Founders Club include?

Tucker Mug and Membership Card
Founders

Readers,

Instead of sucking up to the political and corporate powers that dominate America, The Daily Caller is fighting for you — our readers. We humbly ask you to consider joining us in this fight.

Now that millions of readers are rejecting the increasingly biased and even corrupt corporate media and joining us daily, there are powerful forces lined up to stop us: the old guard of the news media hopes to marginalize us; the big corporate ad agencies want to deprive us of revenue and put us out of business; senators threaten to have our reporters arrested for asking simple questions; the big tech platforms want to limit our ability to communicate with you; and the political party establishments feel threatened by our independence.

We don't complain -- we can't stand complainers -- but we do call it how we see it. We have a fight on our hands, and it's intense. We need your help to smash through the big tech, big media and big government blockade.

We're the insurgent outsiders for a reason: our deep-dive investigations hold the powerful to account. Our original videos undermine their narratives on a daily basis. Even our insistence on having fun infuriates them -- because we won’t bend the knee to political correctness.

One reason we stand apart is because we are not afraid to say we love America. We love her with every fiber of our being, and we think she's worth saving from today’s craziness.

Help us save her.

A second reason we stand out is the sheer number of honest responsible reporters we have helped train. We have trained so many solid reporters that they now hold prominent positions at publications across the political spectrum. Hear a rare reasonable voice at a place like CNN? There’s a good chance they were trained at Daily Caller. Same goes for the numerous Daily Caller alumni dominating the news coverage at outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, Daily Wire and many others.

Simply put, America needs solid reporters fighting to tell the truth or we will never have honest elections or a fair system. We are working tirelessly to make that happen and we are making a difference.

Since 2010, The Daily Caller has grown immensely. We're in the halls of Congress. We're in the Oval Office. And we're in up to 20 million homes every single month. That's 20 million Americans like you who are impossible to ignore.

We can overcome the forces lined up against all of us. This is an important mission but we can’t do it unless you — the everyday Americans forgotten by the establishment — have our back.

Please consider becoming a Daily Caller Patriot today, and help us keep doing work that holds politicians, corporations and other leaders accountable. Help us thumb our noses at political correctness. Help us train a new generation of news reporters who will actually tell the truth. And help us remind Americans everywhere that there are millions of us who remain clear-eyed about our country's greatness.

In return for membership, Daily Caller Patriots will be able to read The Daily Caller without any of the ads that we have long used to support our mission. We know the ads drive you crazy. They drive us crazy too. But we need revenue to keep the fight going. If you join us, we will cut out the ads for you and put every Lincoln-headed cent we earn into amplifying our voice, training even more solid reporters, and giving you the ad-free experience and lightning fast website you deserve.

Patriots will also be eligible for Patriots Only content, newsletters, chats and live events with our reporters and editors. It's simple: welcome us into your lives, and we'll welcome you into ours.

We can save America together.

Become a Daily Caller Patriot today.

Signature

Neil Patel