AUSTIN, Texas - more than 600 women's rights protesters crowded in the Texas Capitol on Sunday to see the Democrats begin a series of parliamentary maneuvers to stop the Republican majority adopted some of the toughest restrictions of abortion in the country.
The Democrats began the session by pointing out a technicality that delayed the vote on any bills of 4 1/2 hours. The forced postponement burned precious time since the session ends at midnight on Tuesday and abortion bill must still return to the Senate for final approval.
While several bills are subject to study, the only one with real possibilities is Senate Bill 5, Bill buses that would ban abortions after 20 weeks, required that it be held in surgical centers and restrict where and when women can take pills that induce abortion. Part of the new law would also require to perform abortions doctors have privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of admission.
Supporters say the measures are intended to protect the health of the woman, but opponents called unnecessary regulations to make it more difficult to get abortions. Approved, 37 of 42 Texas abortion clinics would have to close down and subjected to millions of dollars in improvements.
"This is important for many people," said representative Bryan Hughes, a conservative Republican of Mineola. "For many of us, this is the law of the session".
Anti-abortion groups have enormous influence in the Republican primary in Texas, and owners fearing tea party challenges need to register votes on conservative issues before returning home.
Block Bill has become a cause for the Democrats, who have not won a statewide election in Texas since 1994, but are working to rebuild the party in the State. The Democratic Party of Texas joined rights groups of women and progressive organizations this week to rally hundreds of supporters of the opposition to the proposed laws.
"This is our struggle here, today," said representative Sylvester Turner, D-Houston. "This is about Republican primary politics, not on a priority for the State."
Governor Rick Perry called session in May to adopt redistricting maps, but added abortion with just two weeks remaining before the end of the session. That decision made it possible that the Democrats possibly kill the Bill, while they have minorities in both chambers of the legislature.
House Democrats said they had a variety of methods to stop and possibly even kill the final accounts of the Sunday. But if you spend the early hours of Monday, the Senate must still vote on them on Tuesday, giving Senate Democrats an opportunity to block the draft law until midnight.
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