Imagine that someone who was completely uninformed on abortion turned on the news and saw coverage of the Texas pro-life omnibus bill, Senate Bill 5 (SB5). He’d likely come away with the idea that extremists were trying to force an anti-woman bill onto Texans, who overwhelmingly opposed it – and that Texas Sen. Wendy Davis, who led a 10-hour filibuster against the bill – was a hero standing up for women everywhere. This is the picture painted in the abortion-friendly media. But is it an accurate portrayal?
Davis’s filibuster ended minutes before the voting session expired, when it was ruled that she had gone off-topic. Rather than letting the state senators vote on the bill, hundreds of abortion activists who were present, led by Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards, began shouting down the legislators and successfully obstructed the voting process until those final few minutes ticked by. Pro-aborts are cheering this as a victory over anti-choice extremists.
Online for Life has put out a call to action for the pro-life community, called Is This Your Voice? Pro-lifers are being asked to stand up and speak out against the abortion lobby and its cronies. The truth is, it’s the pro-abortion mob that smacks of extremism – not the pro-lifers supporting SB5.
Were the voices of Texans represented in the shouting and screaming of the abortion lobby’s bullies? No, Texans support banning abortion after 20 weeks. And it has been long established that the majority of Americans overall are against late-term abortions as well. The extremists are the ones fighting to keep abortion available, on demand, up until the moment a woman gives birth.
What about patient safety? SB5 would require abortion clinics to follow the same health and safety regulations that other ambulatory surgical centers are held to. These include requiring admitting privileges at a local hospital and that doctors personally administer medicated abortions. It also would require, for some clinics, building renovations and equipment upgrades. Basically, abortion clinics would be held to the same standards as other surgical centers, which would make abortion safer for women (something pro-aborts claim to care about). The mob doesn’t dispute this, but rather is more concerned that clinics may close. Would they prefer that women continue getting abortions at a clinic that is substandard and can’t meet these basic regulations?
Is this your voice?
It is obvious that the extremists are the ones fighting this bill, which contains commonsense regulations for abortion clinics, and a ban on late-term abortions that both Texans and Americans overwhelmingly favor. The extremists are the ones who led a mob-like attack on the democratic process, rather than let legislators do the job they were elected to do. It is time for pro-lifers to speak up and fight back. Sign the petition, and show your support on Facebook and Twitter using #thetrueSB5voice. The pro-abortion bullies may have hijacked the legislative process, but the fight isn’t over – and we can’t let their shouting silence our voices.
LifeNews Note: Cassy Fiano is a twenty-something Florida native now living in Jacksonville, North Carolina who writes at a number of conservative web sites. She got her start in journalism at the Florida Times-Union. She is the mother of two sons, one of whom was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. This originally appeared at Live Action News.
