Survey results released by the University of Houston and Texas Southern University show, among other things, that 55% of Texas residents support the state's heartbeat law, which makes it illegal to terminate a baby whose heart is beating, which is usually around six weeks.
Kyleen Wright of the Texans for Life Coalition is not surprised by the numbers.
"We know Texas is a pro-life state," she notes. "We saw similar noise and harrumphing in the media in 2013 after HB 2, and then we saw the claims of the pro-aborts fizzle away in the elections."
HB 2 placed a restriction on abortion at 20 weeks and established new rules for abortion clinics and abortionists. It also regulated chemical abortions.
"These are really excellent numbers," Write continues, "and I think they're a lot closer to being accurate than what we've seen before. But I also don't doubt that we're seeing gains as we see the laws debated and hear the arguments on both sides. The arguments for abortion are not looking any better than they have in the last 48 years."
So as the issues have come up over the past five decades, Texas voters have become more educated on what abortion is, particularly that it ends the life of a human baby.
