I can see why you get so upset with the "Religious Right" John. They are really getting mean down in Texas. AP via ABC
Texas Conservatives Find Room on Issues
Conservatives in Texas Finding Fertile Ground for Social Issues Like Abortion, Same-Sex Unions
For the first time in 130 years, Republicans are in control of the Texas House and conservatives are finding fertile ground for social issues like restrictions on abortion and bans on same-sex unions.
Backers of the measures say the Legislature finally reflects the conservative beliefs of most Texans.
"These are things that the people of Texas have been in favor of but could not even get heard because of party control in the House in past years," said Kelly Shackelford, president of the family advocacy Free Market Foundation. "Texas has always been more conservative than other states."
This week, the House approved a bill requiring women to wait 24 hours before getting an abortion and to be offered printed material, including photographs, on stages of fetal development.
Both the House and Senate have already OK'd a "Defense of Marriage Act" banning recognition of same-sex civil unions, including those from other states. Republican Gov. Rick Perry is expected to sign it into law.
Other bills with momentum would require parental consent before minors can get an abortion; give legal status to a fetus in case of injury; and require school children to observe a minute of silence each day for prayer or reflection.
Critics claim the legislative environment is one of intolerance and they say lawmakers should concentrate on the state's $9.9 billion budget shortfall.
"The bottom line is these ideological pet projects of the far right are a waste of time and money," said Ashley McIlvain, political director for the Texas Freedom Network, a group that says it works to counter the influence of the religious right in government.
Some of the socially conservative bills passed by the House could find a rockier road in the Senate, where Democrats are the minority party but have the numbers to block a bill from getting a Senate floor vote. But opponents are still nervous.
"There's no firewall on the Senate side," said Sarah Wheat, public affairs director for the Texas Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League.
Although the GOP took over the Texas Senate in the 1990s, Republicans had been the minority party in the House since Reconstruction. They seized control last November, helped by redistricting drawn up by a GOP-dominated panel.
Social conservatives are now seeing success after years of frustration over having their bills stall in the House, said Susan Weddington, chairman of the state Republican Party. She credits the leadership of GOP House Speaker Tom Craddick, who replaced Democrat Pete Laney.
"The major difference is a leader who is certainly allowing way more debate on the House floor than we've seen in years," Weddington said. "It's wonderful."
Polls have shown that the pending conservative social measures reflect the philosophy of most Texans, Weddington said.
The Texas Democratic Party sees it differently.
"The Republicans are representing the views and values of a narrow-minded minority intent on controlling how other people live their lives," state party chair Molly Beth Malcolm said.
Planned Parenthood is struggling to fend off GOP attempts to drop state contracts with the organization because some of its clinics perform abortions. And a bill to allow pharmacists to quickly dispense anti-pregnancy pills to women is stuck in a House committee.
Meanwhile, groups like the anti-abortion Texas Right To Life are enjoying more success with lawmakers.
"The turf is friendlier," said Elizabeth Graham, associate director.
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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