Gov. Perry And Others Comment On Injunction of Sonogram Law

U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks today issued an injunction against the state’s recently passed sonogram law. That means women will not have to undergo a sonogram before having an abortion.

The sonogram bill, co-authored by Senator Dan Patrick of Houston, was declared an emergency item by Governor Perry during the legislative session.

Below is the governor’s statement issued late Tuesday, followed by a statement from Senator Dan Patrick and Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas.

Governor Rick Perry: “Every life lost to abortion is a tragedy and today’s ruling is a great disappointment to all Texans who stand in defense of life. This important sonogram legislation ensures that every Texas woman seeking an abortion has all the facts about the life she is carrying, and understands the devastating impact of such a life-changing decision. I have full confidence in Attorney General Abbott’s efforts to appeal this decision as he defends the laws enacted by the Texas Legislature.”

Senator Dan Patrick: “I’m not surprised by this decision,” said Senator Dan Patrick. “It is clear to me, from the inflammatory language in the order, that Judge Sparks was predisposed to this position.” It is disappointing that a group from out-of-state that does not value life can successfully interfere with Texas’ public policy. The most tragic result of Sparks’ decision is that hundreds of innocent lives will be lost every day because women continue to be denied medical information they have a right to know. I am confident this legislation will ultimately be held constitutional by the courts.”

Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas: Judge Sparks’ ruling is a positive step for women’s rights in Texas. We are pleased that the ruling finds that the intrusive ultrasound bill violates the First Amendment, and that legislators overreached in their attempt to play politics with women’s medical care. There is still a long way to go in this lawsuit but we are confident that the Center for Reproductive Rights is the right organization to lead this fight for women’s health. Governor Perry and his cohorts have said repeatedly that this law is supposedly about ‘protecting women’ yet the state has done nothing to protect Texas women and teens from unintended pregnancies. The only way to reduce the need for abortion is to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. If the state was looking for real solutions instead of political ones they would support proven family planning programs. Yet, family planning programs were annihilated during the legislative session and now nearly 300,000 Texas women are being threatened with the loss of preventive health care.