HB2

The political battle in Texas over proposed restrictions on abortion resumes on Monday with a rally by abortion opponents and a public hearing in the state Senate, where Democrat Wendy Davis staged a filibuster last month to stall the Republican-backed measure.



Davis's tactic forced Republicans to start over in the state legislature their effort to pass a ban on most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and toughen regulations for abortion clinics.



Crowds of people advocating on both sides of the debate were expected to converge on the Texas capitol building for the public hearing in the Senate starting on Monday morning.



In an exclusive* Hot Air interview, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst of Texas insists that the attempt to hijack the legislative process by pro-abortion activists this week will not stop the state from passing a limitation on late-term abortions and requirements for clinics to meet the same standards as other ambulatory surgical centers. Dewhurst also says that his office is reviewing the security tapes from the demonstration that derailed the bill at the end of the regular session, and that arrests may be made for inciting a riot — including perhaps some members of the media.



“I had the votes,” Dewhurst told me, “I had the strategy.” He had wanted the Senate to tackle the bill, SB5, a little earlier in the session to prevent the obstructionism that he foresaw. When it came time to clear the galleries, Dewhurst lacked the resources to finish the job on time. “These are common sense … measures that the majority, the big majority of Texans support,” Dewhurst insisted, “so I was frustrated. I’m not going to let a minority group of demonstrators — Planned Parenthood and ACLU — block the will of the majority. And I will pass this bill.”



UPDATE: HB2 is on the calendar for tomorrow (Tuesday). SB1, the Senate version of HB2, is being debated in a hearing today (not HB2 as written below) and will be on the Senate floor for debate later this week.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The battle to ban abortions after five months continues today in Texas. The Texas Senate Committee on Health and Human Services is expected to hold a hearing onSB1 Monday, a bill requiring abortion clinics meet basic medical standards while banning abortions after 20 weeks. The legislation is a duplicate of SB5, which was defeated through filibuster and a rowdy protest crowd two weeks ago. Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst made it clear last week to Hot Air's Ed Morrissey that another disruption in the Democratic process by protestors linked to the Occupy movement won't be tolerated.The Senate hearing is expected to start at 10 am central time and can be watched here.