Abortion rights advocates rally on 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade
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On the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, hundreds rallied at the State Capital in a show of support for the 1973 ruling which ensured a woman’s right to an abortion.
"Roe v. Wade wasn't the beginning of women having abortions. It was the end of women in the United States dying from abortions," Austinite Heather Frederick said.
With the 83rd Legislature now in session, some lawmakers are working to pass legislation which would tighten the rules around abortion.
Frederick said she’s paying attention to the trend.
"Conservatives in this state are not taking the proper steps to eliminate the need for abortion,” she said. “They're doing everything they can to limit access to contraception, to family planning, to comprehensive sex education."
On Monday, Governor Perry issued a statement slamming Roe v. Wade, vowing to counter the federal law "until the day abortion is nothing more than a tragic footnote in our nation’s history."
Perry said he supports what some would call a "fetal pain" bill which would ban abortions past 20 weeks of conception.
In 2011, Perry signed into law sonogram abortion legislation and supported cuts to state-funded family planning programs, namely Planned Parenthood.
Democratic State Rep. Donna Howard said she will do her part in the state house to stand by legal abortion. She disagrees with Perry’s platform of overturning Roe v. Wade.
“The fact is that as long as people have sex, there will be unintended pregnancies and there will be abortions. What we want to do is make sure abortions are rare and that they are legal and medically safe," Rep Howard said.
The debate surrounding abortion is not just an issue at the federal or state level. Earlier Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners passed a symbolic resolution in support of Roe v. Wade.