Rick Perry Co-Stars In Texas Political Drama
An irony of the recent Texas political theater: Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis' filibuster aimed at stopping anti-abortion legislation raised not only her profile but that of Republican Gov. Rick Perry.
Shortly after Davis' talkathon ran out the clock on a bill that would potentially have made abortions much harder for women in Texas to obtain after 20 weeks of pregnancy, Perry put himself back in the national headlines.
First, the 2012 presidential candidate called for a special, 30-day session of the GOP-controlled Texas Legislature during which the members will focus solely on passing the bill.
Then, on Thursday, Perry raised eyebrows with his comments to an audience at the National Right To Life's convention in Dallas.
Speaking of Davis' rise from a hardscrabble earlier life, Perry said:
"The fact is, who are we to say that children born in the worst of circumstances can't grow to have successful lives? In fact, even the woman who filibustered the Senate the other day, was born in difficult circumstances. She's the daughter of a single woman. She was a teenage mother herself. She managed to eventually graduate from Harvard Law School and serve in the Texas Senate. It's just unfortunate that she hasn't learned from own example that every life should be given the chance to fulfill its potential and that every life matters."