New Abortion Laws Create Demand Across The Border
Texans are learning to live with a tough new anti-abortion law that will shut down 37 of the state’s 42 abortion clinics. The law bans abortions after 20 weeks, requires abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a near-by hospital, restricts the use of the abortion drug RU-486, and requires clinics to meet the standards of ambulatory surgical centers.
For the border region of the Rio Grande Valley, this means women will have little choice but to turn to dangerous alternatives to deal with an unwanted pregnancy. Some are traveling across the border to secure the drug Misoprostol. But health care workers in the Valley warn against such measures. “It’s unsupervised medically," says Patricio Gozales, CEO of Planned Parenthood in the Rio Grande Valley. "They don’t know what pills they are really getting. It may be the medication to induce an abortion and it may not be.” From Matamoros, David Martin Davies reports.
Abbott Courts The Latino Vote
"We will build upon that foundation in the future and expand the unification across the state of Texas and we will stand strong for the Hispanic community from the Rio Grande to the Red Rivers." -- Greg Abbott
The race to decide who will be the next governor of Texas is underway, but some say it’s already over. Election watchers say with a bulging campaign war chest and the support of the Tea Party, Texas Attorney General Gregg Abbott is the clear front runner to win not only the Republican nomination, but the general election.
But it appears that Abbott using his political campaign to do more than win the office – he’s looking to win Texas Latino loyalty to the Republican Party. David Martin Davies spent time at a campaign rally in McAllen.
Texas, A Blue State?
Before Abbott can win the Governor’s office – he needs to win the GOP nomination. Tom Pauken, a former chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission is also in the running. And then Abbott will need to win the general election and how tough that will be depends on the Democrats. So far, no major candidate has stepped forward to be the Democrat’s standard-bearer. But the August issue of Texas Monthly takes a look at three candidates that are exciting Democrats, and wonders if they have the right stuff at the right time. Robert Draper is a freelance writer, a correspondent for GQ and a contributor to The New York Times Magazine. He wonders if Texas Senator Wendy Davis and the Castro Brothers of San Antonio can lead the Texas Democratic party back to victory.
Remember The Alamo, Remember Goliad, Remember... Matamoros!
When it comes to Texas history, kids are taught about the massacre at Goliad, the Battle of the Alamo, and the Texas victory at San Jacinto. But generally overlooked is the 1835 campaign to capture Matamoros. It was a brave chapter in the struggle to win Texas independence from Mexico, but it ended disastrously.
Craig H.Roell is a professor of history at Georgia Southern University, and the author of “Matamoros and the Texas Revolution” published by the Texas State Historical Association.
