A routine gesture of remembrance devolved into an unpleasant brawl on the Texas Home flooring Thursday, as hardline Republicans efficiently blocked a memorial decision honoring Cecile Richards, former president of Deliberate Parenthood and a Texas native. Richards died earlier this year.
Usually, memorial resolutions to honor Texans who’ve died are handed with out controversy. They’re normally the Home’s quietest enterprise: a listing of names learn aloud, a gavel strike, no partisan debate. However the decision for Richards sparked a cascade of shock from conservatives who accused their colleagues of “honoring a lady who perpetrated the homicide of youngsters.”
After a morning of protest and delays, Republicans seem to have gained, for now. After a prolonged debate, the resolutions had been being pulled from consideration for the day successfully torpedoing the entire slate of memorials, which included tributes to U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Houston who died last year from pancreatic cancer, and Jill Glover, a neighborhood conservative activist who died final 12 months from most cancers. The calendar was withdrawn and returned to committee.
“WE WON!” Rep. Nate Schatzline, a Republican from Fort Value, posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Texas won’t ever honor those that mass homicide our unborn kids!”
The talk started earlier within the morning when a knot of conservative lawmakers stood on the again, whereas others took the mic to interrogate Speaker Dustin Burrows.
“Do you, as speaker, imagine it’s acceptable that on Easter weekend we’re honoring Cecile Richards, former president of Deliberate Parenthood?” requested Rep. Brian Harrison, a Republican from Midlothian.
Rep. Wes Virdell, R-Brady, chimed in and requested the speaker, “Is it customary process to honor individuals who have killed hundreds of thousands of unborn infants?”
Rep. Mitch Little, R-Lewisville, urged his Republican colleagues to not “drink somewhat little bit of poison.”
A hand-drawn signal studying “FOR JILL” referring to Glover, additionally memorialized that day, was raised within the background.
Feelings had been excessive. Rep. Keresa Richardson, R-McKinney, wept behind the rostrum.
Rep. Ramon Romero Jr., D-Fort Value, sang Las Mañanitas, the Spanish Blissful Birthday music that’s usually additionally sung to moms on Mexican mom’s day.
“We’ll disagree on a whole lot of issues. … But when someone meant one thing to you or to me, the custom of this home is that we honor these individuals, whether or not we agree with that particular person’s life or not,” he stated.
Rep. Donna Howard, the Democrat from Austin who introduced ahead the decision, gave a heartfelt speech honoring Cecile Richards, describing her as a devoted advocate who labored to make sure equal entry to training and inexpensive well being care.
Howard famous that Richards was identified for her tenacity, grit, knowledge and coronary heart and that she made a constructive affect on the state and nation. She added that attributable to on-line controversy, the Richards household selected to not attend the memorial decision.
“All of us deserve the chance to come back earlier than this chamber to acknowledge, rejoice our constituents and know that we and they are going to be met with the utmost respect. That’s what I anticipated after I filed HR 236,” she stated. “The Richards household was denied that chance.”
Rep. Ann Johnson, D-Houston, tried to revive order. “That is presupposed to be the least political factor we do at the moment,” she stated.
However politics flooded each nook of the chamber.
Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, dryly famous, “Are you conscious that by having spent the period of time that you’ve got spent up there, you’ve got truly honored Cecile?” and smirked after his remark, which acquired some claps and cheers.
Richards was the daughter of former Texas Gov. Ann Richards. Earlier than main Deliberate Parenthood, she labored as a labor organizer and based America Votes, a coalition of progressive grassroots organizations that register, educate and prove voters. When she stepped down from Deliberate Parenthood in 2018, she co-founded Supermajority, a bunch working to get extra girls into Democratic politics. She died from brain cancer in January.
“Certainly one of my life objectives is to hang-out Texas politicians the best way Cecile Richards does,” stated Shellie Hayes-McMahon, govt director of Deliberate Parenthood Texas Votes. “They’ll attempt to erase her, however her imaginative and prescient and affect on the state of Texas will outlive their petty political video games.”
It stays unclear when the memorial calendar will return — and whether or not Richards’ title can be on it.
Renzo Downey and Eleanor Klibanoff contributed to this reporting.
Disclosure: Deliberate Parenthood has been a monetary supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan information group that’s funded partly by donations from members, foundations and company sponsors. Monetary supporters play no function within the Tribune’s journalism. Discover a full list of them here.
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