WHAT THEY SAID
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, in an interview with CBS-DFW:
“That issue — there's going to be a lot of discussion this session. … We'll see where the Republicans and Democrats are, listen to the people, and we'll move forward. My record is unassailable. I'm pro-life. I'm pro-life for everyone, because I never think any baby should be another victim of a crime, but I understand people's thoughts on it, and we'll work through that.”
House Speaker Dade Phelan, in an interview with the Texas Tribune:
“Where I'm from, it’s a very conservative area, very Christian, evangelical area. My voters will respond to the way the law is right now . ... I have heard from members who not only voted for those measures last session, but those who are running for office now in open seats, who are concerned about not having that exception.”
Gov. Greg Abbott, in an interview with WFAA:
“There's going to be a lot of different proposals that will come up over the course of the upcoming session, and I'm going to tell you what I'm going to focus on. And that is, one, making sure that nothing that Beto supports, like abortion to the very last second before a child is born, would be allowed — even denying health care to a child who survives an abortion. (Editor’s note: Beto O’Rourke has not voiced support for such a proposal.)
“But second, something that really does need to be done, and that is clarify what it means to protect the life of the mother. There have been some comments, and even maybe some actions, by some doctors that are not taking care of women who have an ectopic pregnancy, or who have a miscarriage, and that is wrong, because neither of those two are abortions. But that said, I've even seen some other situations that some women are going through, where they're not getting the health care they need to protect their life. …
“The point is this: Our goal is to make sure we protect the lives of both the mother and the baby, and there's been too many allegations that have been made about ways in which the lives of the mother are not being protected, and so that must be clarified.
“The goal … is to protect the lives of both the mother and the baby. We want to see if there are ways that we can make sure that the lives of both the mother and the baby can be protected. That's our focus.”