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Carona makes peace with Patrick, Van de Putte pulls more Planned Parenthood help

Sen. John Carona talks with a supporter in Dallas on primary night in March. (Kye R. Lee/Staff photographer)

Update at 3:25 p.m.: Have corrected date of Paul Reyes’ and Helen Carona’s contributions to Patrick: They gave on the same day in 2013, not this year.

Original item at 12:43 p.m.: Dallas state Sen. John Carona has continued to make peace with fellow Republican and lieutenant governor candidate Dan Patrick.

The political action committee at Carona’s business Associa Inc., which manages homeowners’ assocations across the country, gave Patrick $5,000 earlier this week, according to telegram reports to the Texas Ethics Commission.

As my colleague Terrence Stutz reported here nearly 2 1/2 years ago, Carona called Patrick a “snake oil salesman” and a “narcissist that would say anything to draw attention to himself.”

Patrick, R-Houston, said in an email to all senators that Carona had spread a false rumor that Patrick and his wife, Jan, were divorcing. Carona, R-Dallas, replied that Patrick should have first checked with him regarding the allegations before contacting their colleagues. Carona also raised the ante, mentioning rumors about Patrick’s sexual orientation as well. Patrick dismissed as “a lie” suggestions he is gay and demanded Carona apologize.

At the time, Carona didn’t. Late last year, though, the Associa PAC gave $30,000 to Patrick, even as Carona didn’t personally endorse him in the GOP lieutenant governor primary.

In March, Carona lost his Senate seat to tea party-backed Republican Don Huffines in a GOP primary. Since then, he has endorsed Patrick.

Dan Patrick and Leticia Van de Putte shake hands at their televised debate last month. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

As I reported in a story in Wednesday’s newspaper, Associa executive Paul Reyes, a former Carona Senate staff aide, contributed $20,000 to Patrick. That was on top of $5,000 Reyes gave to Patrick in August 2013 — the same day Carona’s wife, Helen, chipped in $2,500 to the Patrick cause.

It appears that Associa may have some legislative irons in the fire.

Meanwhile, Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, Patrick’s Democratic colleague and opponent for lieutenant governor, reported more than three times as many late contributions as did Patrick.

This week, she took in more than $82,000, to about $23,500 for Patrick.

Just more than half of the contributions on Van de Putte’s telegram reports came from groups supporting abortion rights. Planned Parenthood’s PACs in New York City and Austin donated nearly $30,000 of staff time, phone calls and postage. Annie’s List gave the San Antonio lawmaker a $13,000 check.

As I noted in Wednesday’s story, Patrick strategist Allen Blakemore belittled Van de Putte’s matching Patrick’s fundraising haul of $2 million between Sept. 26 and Saturday. Blakemore noted that one-third of her money was in-kind donations from Planned Parenthood, the liberal group Texas Organizing Project and voter-organizing Battleground Texas.

On Thursday morning, Logan Spence, a long-time Patrick aide, seized on the late assists from Planned Parenthood PACs as a sign Van de Putte would try to lead the Senate in a very different direction on abortion than Patrick would. But then we knew that, didn’t we?

Here’s Spence’s tweet on the subject:

Abortion clinics plan to reopen, but women are left in limbo

AUSTIN–Women are left confused while several Texas abortion clinics prepare to reopen following a Supreme Court order that halted part of the state’s new abortion law from taking affect pending appeal.

Texas was left with eight abortion clinics after new restrictions went into effect earlier this month forcing over a dozen clinics to cancel appointments and shut their doors.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision, 15 clinics could reopen while appeals are heard. Abortion providers and supporters worry that the changing clinic status’ are confusing women.

Whole Woman’s Health in Fort Worth and Routh Street Women’s Clinic in Dallas both plan to reopen, but have not yet announced when.

Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas spokeswoman Kelly Hart said numbers to their call center “shot up significantly” following the initial closures.

“There was a scramble to fit in women who had appointments with facilities that had to close,” Hart said.

Wait times increased as the remaining clinics reached capacity. According to Misty Garcia, a board member of the Lilith Fund, which helps women fund abortion procedures, the soonest appointment some women have been able to schedule is two weeks away.

“They were panicking,” Garcia said of the callers who had to reschedule appointments due to clinic closures. They said things like “I hope this one stays open.”

Mara Posada, a spokeswoman with Planned Parenthood Trust of South Texas, said women with appointments at the San Antonio clinic are confused by the “mixed messages” they are receiving.

“They call wanting to be assured that they still have an appointment, that we will still be able to see them and give them the care they need,” Posada said.

Nan Little Kirkpatrick, executive director of the Texas Equal Access Fund, which also helps women fund abortions, said that while she was pleased with the Supreme Court’s ruling, she still worries about the effects the multiple court decisions are having on women.

“While courts go back and forth on this issue, we worry about the people who may have missed their window to receive abortion care last week,” Kirkpatrick said.

According to Kirkpatrick and Garcia, the organizations have received less calls for funding assistance since the clinics closed.

“We don’t have any reason to believe that the demand for abortion suddenly went down, so we are certain that people who were in need of care were unable to get appointments last week,” Kirkpatrick said.

Calls have been especially low from the Valley. Whole Woman’s Health in McAllen plans to reopen following the Supreme Court ruling. It will be the only remaining clinic in South Texas.

An attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents several Texas abortion providers in the lawsuit against the state, said the briefs are due Dec. 8 and hearings will be scheduled after that.

The clinics that reopen will be allowed to remain open until and unless the 5th Circuit upholds the law.

While the Supreme court offered no explanation to go along with their recent order, Esha Bhandari, an attorney with the Center said “this gives us optimism and hope that the Supreme Court sees what’s happening in Texas as a serious violation of women’s constitutional rights.”

U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel struck down two portions of the state’s strict abortion law requiring doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and requiring facilities to meet hospital-like building standards, stating that together they create an unconstitutional obstacle for women seeking abortions in Texas.

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed Yeakel’s decision pending the appeals process on Oct. 2, resulting in the closures.

The Supreme Court said Tuesday that the statewide facilities requirement could not take effect during the appeals process, and exempted two clinics in El Paso and McAllen from the admitting privileges requirement.

This is the second challenge of a 2013 law that also bans abortion after 20 weeks and limits the use of abortion-inducing pills.

Appeals court allows Texas’ abortion restrictions to go into effect immediately

Nyla Munoz performs a sonogram for a walk-in patient at the Whole Women's Health Clinic in McAllen, Texas. Jennifer Whitney/The New York Times (JENNIFER WHITNEY/The New York Times)

AUSTIN–Over a dozen abortion clinics will be forced to close immediately as Texas’ strict new abortion law is allowed to take effect in full following a federal appeals court ruling.

A three judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals said Thursday that it will allow the law to take effect for the duration of the trial over its constitutionality.

“This decision is a vindication of the careful deliberation by the Texas Legislature to craft a law to protect the health and safety of Texas women,” said Attorney General spokeswoman Lauren Bean.

District Judge Lee Yeakel struck down two portions of the law last month requiring doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and requiring facilities to meet hospital-like building standards, stating that together they create an unconstitutional obstacle for women seeking abortions in the state.

This is the second challenge of a 2013 law that also bans abortion after 20 weeks and limits the use of abortion-inducing pills.

Texas abortion providers had already challenged the admitting privileges requirement in federal court last September. Yeakel tried that case as well and struck down the requirement, but a 5th Circuit panel reversed his decision in March. The plaintiffs have requested a rehearing by the full court.

Currently, eight abortion clinics in Texas meet both requirements, and they are all located in the Houston, San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin metropolitan areas. No clinics will remain open west or south of San Antonio.

The 5th Circuit panel made one exception, Reproductive Services, an El Paso clinic, will not be required to meet the surgical center physical requirements for the duration of the trial. It will, however, have to meet the admitting privileges requirement.

The distance from McAllen, in South Texas, to the nearest clinic in San Antonio is over 230 miles one-way, and the trip from El Paso is over 550 miles. The 5th Circuit panel will have to decide if the driving distances create a significant obstacle for women.

“Today the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on the side of politics NOT women’s health,” said Amy Hagstrom Miller, CEO of Whole Woman’s Health and one of the plaintiffs in the case. “And what we have been fearing is now official: Texas faces a health care crisis, brought on by its own legislators.”

Experts testifying on behalf of abortion providers estimated that it could cost from $1-3.5 million to build or renovate a clinic that meets the same facility standards as an outpatient surgery center, which would include specific ventilation and sterilization systems, blood supplies, and hall and doorway sizes.

Supporters of the law have argued that the new requirements will decrease the risk of complications for abortion patients.

Nonpartisan poll: Immigration, border security top state worry

Detainees wait in Brownsville, Texas, in a holding cell at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing facility. (June 18 photo by Eric Gay-Pool/Getty Images)

Immigration and border security have displaced education as the top issue facing the state, according to the eighth annual Texas Lyceum Poll.

In the nonpartisan poll, released Tuesday, 31 percent of adults said immigration or border security is the most important issue, compared with 11 percent who said education. Eight percent cited either jobs and unemployment or the economy.

The results ran opposite to voters’ ranking of national concerns, said the group’s pollster, University of Texas political scientist Daron Shaw. At the national level, 20 percent of adult Texans cite the economy and jobs as the top issue, compared with just 11 percent calling it immigration or border security.

“This is probably the most dramatic instance in which border security and immigration issues are dominating economic mentions — at least with respect to the state, not the nation,” Shaw told reporters.

The poll consisted of telephone interviews with 1,000 Texas adults that were conducted between Sept. 9 and Sept. 25. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percent.

The survey tested attitudes on the recent influx of tens of thousands of unaccompanied children from Central America into Texas, after they made often-harrowing journeys across Mexico.

Texans clashed on whether the children should be returned to their home country as soon as possible, with 48 percent of respondents agreeing while 42 percent said they should be permitted to stay in the U.S. while awaiting an immigration hearing, even if it takes a long time.

Among the 666 likely voters who were interviewed, support for immediate return of the children jumped to 58 percent, with 37 percent saying the youngsters should be allowed to stay for a time.

Immigrants who have been caught crossing the border illegally are housed inside the McAllen Border Patrol Station in McAllen. Detainees are mostly separated by gender and age, except for infants. (July 15 pool photo by Rick Loomis/Getty Images)

Along lines of party affiliation and racial or ethnic identity, the differences were even more stark. Among Democrats, 64 percent want the children to be allowed to stay, while 73 percent of Republicans favored returning them to their country as soon as possible. Among independents, who accounted for 22 percent of adults interviewed, sentiment was roughly equal: Forty-five percent want the children to stay; 44 percent, to leave immediately.

While blacks were fairly evenly divided among the two camps, whites and Hispanics were not. Among whites, 62 percent said the children should be returned to their home country, compared with only 28 percent who would allow them to stay. Among Hispanics, though, 58 percent supported letting them stay in the U.S. awaiting a hearing while 33 percent would send them home as soon as possible.

“Although the majority response sides with law and order, we do see that the attitudes of Texans depend on context,” Shaw said. “If immigration is framed in terms of caring for children, our willingness to compromise increases.”

The poll, a summary of which can be viewed here, also examined attitudes on abortion. Earlier this month, state Sen. Wendy Davis, the Democratic nominee for governor, revealed she had two abortions. One was after an ectopic pregnancy, which is commonly viewed as life threatening; and the other, after the fetus was found to have a severe abnormality known as Dandy-Walker syndrome.

By better than 3-to-1 margins, Texas adults said abortion should be legal if the woman’s health is seriously endangered or she became pregnant because of rape. For pregnancies resulting from incest, 68 percent supported allowing abortion as an option, while 24 percent opposed doing so. When there is “a strong chance of a serious defect in the baby,” 54 percent said a woman should be able to obtain an abortion and 31 percent said she should not.

“Most people, Republicans included, say women ought to have an abortion option under those circumstances,” Shaw said. “When you start talking about more choice-oriented, situational circumstances, support drops and you begin to see some of the partisan differences really show.”

For instance, when asked if it should be possible for a pregnant woman to obtain a legal abortion if she is unmarried and doesn’t want to marry the man, just 24 percent of Republicans agreed. Among both Democrats and independents, support was considerably higher — 44 percent — though still below a majority. Only about a third of all adults favored legal abortion if married women want no more children or the family is poor and says it can’t afford more children.

On the federal health care overhaul, the poll found 48 percent of Texas adults have an unfavorable opinion, versus 33 percent with a favorable attitude.

“Opinion is pretty static here,” Shaw said, noting the state results are comparable to national polls. “There is not a lot going on.”

On Wednesday, the Lyceum, a group of 96 people touted as “the next generation of Texas leaders,” will release horse race numbers in the statewide contests on the Nov. 4 ballot. Also divulged will be results of questions about Gov. Rick Perry and President Barack Obama, as well as about Perry’s recent indictment for coercion and misuse of his post in connection with a budget line-item veto threat last year.

Wendy Davis says Greg Abbott bad for Texas women, Van de Putte slams Patrick at Dallas luncheon

Update: 3:53 p.m.A spokesman for Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has responded to Wendy Davis’ speech at an Annie’s List luncheon in Dallas. Matt Mackowiak’s response inserted in original post.

“While Sen. Davis is attacking Greg Abbott, Greg Abbott is attacking the challenges facing Texans, like creating more jobs, improving education, building new roads and securing the border,” said Abbott spokeswoman Amelia Chasse. “Women – and all Texans – deserve more from their candidates than Sen. Davis’ misleading attacks designed to distract from her ever-increasing series of ethics scandals. Texas women showed their support for Greg Abbott’s record and vision by casting more votes for him in the primary election than for Sen. Davis and her follow Democrat candidates combined.”

Original post:

Wendy Davis says Greg Abbott bad for Texas women, Van de Putte slams Patrick at Dallas luncheon

State Senator Wendy Davis slammed rival Greg Abbott on Tuesday at the Hilton Anatole, saying the GOP governor nominee supports policies that are hostile toward Texas women. (Lara Solt/Staff Photographer)

State Sen. Wendy Davis on Tuesday unleashed a blistering attack on rival Greg Abbott, saying the GOP nominee for governor supports policies that are hostile toward Texas women.

“The last thing Texas women need in their lives is Greg Abbott,” Davis said during a luncheon sponsored by Annie’s List, a group that supports progressive women candidates.

Davis, the Democratic nominee for governor, said that Abbott does not support equal pay for women, has ruled against rape survivors when he was on the Texas Supreme Court and stood by as a “surrogate” described incest and rape as minor issues for women considering abortion.

“If Greg Abbott spent some time in the place of those women he is so-called guarding …, maybe he’d understand how rape is not a minor issue,” she said.

Davis slammed Abbott over a comment made by Republican consultant Matt Mackowiak on Sunday’s edition of KXAS (NBC5) Lone Star Politics. In explaining why Davis had a problem in Texas because of her support for abortion rights, Mackowiak described exceptions to abortion bans for rapes and incest as minor issues as it relates to the percentage of abortions.

Mackowiak does not work for Abbott’s campaign. He says he is not a surrogate. He was invited on Lone Star Politics to provide commentary on last week’s debate between Davis and Abbott.

“The Davis campaign has intentionally mischaracterized what I said in a desperate attempt to raise money, while selfishly trivializing domestic violence and sexual assault victims by using them to score cheap political points,” Mackowiak said in a prepared statement.

Still, Davis pressed her attack.

“It’s time to beat back the ignorance and contempt that closed down women’s health centers all across our state,” she said.

Davis was joined at the lunch by state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor.

Van de Putte mocked her opponent, state Sen. Dan Patrick, adding that he too was bad for Texas.

“You have heard what my sister has told you about her opponent, Greg Abbott,” Van de Putte said. “We’ve just had lunch. I don’t know if I want to talk about Dan Patrick.”

Republicans dismiss equal pay and abortions for rape as minor issues; Dems pounce

Democrats and support groups are slamming comments made independently by Republicans this weekend that they believe show the GOP has turned a deaf ear towards serious women’s issues.

Republicans have no female candidates for statewide office on the ballot, and Democrats have been waiting for any potential gaffes from the nearly all-white male line-up.

In separate appearances, a Republican political consultant called the low number of rape and incest victims a “minor issue” in the abortion debate, and GOP lieutenant governor candidate Dan Patrick dismissed the idea that government should be involved in pay disparity issues for women.

Both Democratic governor nominee Wendy Davis and lieutenant governor nominee Leticia Van de Putte sent out fundraising pleas on Monday, citing the GOP male statements.

Patrick was asked about the problem of unequal pay for women at a public forum and responded, “I don’t think it is a problem.”

“I don’t think government should tell businesses how to pay their staff,” he said.

On the equal pay issue, Texas Democratic Party spokeswoman Lisa Paul said Patrick’s dismissal shows that he is out-of-touch with the realities that women face in the workplace.

“Despite Dan Patrick’s nonchalance and insensitivity, Texas women know they deserve equal pay for equal work,” she said, citing statistics that show that Texas women make 79 cents on the dollar for the same work as men.

“If Dan Patrick wants to lead Texas he should be ready to tell our young women that if they work hard, they can expect a fair paycheck and equality in the workplace. Instead he plans to sit by and pretend this is not an issue that affects every family in Texas,” Paul said.

In an appearance on Lone Star Politics on KXAS-TV (NBC5), GOP consultant Matt Mackowiak was asked about Greg Abbott’s belief that abortion should be outlawed, even in cases of rape and incest.

“We can get into minor issues that are one or two percent of the problem, but ultimately Texas is a strong pro-life state,” Mackowiak said.

When challenged whether victims of those crimes would consider it minor, Mackowiak clarified, “It’s minor in terms of the percentage of the cases.”

Yvonne Gutierrez, executive director of Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, said no sexual assault survivor would call their experience “minor.”

She also called Mackowiak’s comment “demeaning and offensive.”

In her press release, Gutierrez claimed Mackowiak is an adviser to the Greg Abbott campaign for governor, but he is not.

Davis and Van de Putte said they plan to speak further on the flare-up at a joint appearance in Dallas on Tuesday for Annie’s List, a group that raises money for women candidates who are for abortion rights.

Wendy Davis or Greg Abbott? Lone Star Politics recaps debate for Texas governor

On Lone Star Politics, two political strategists, Republican Matt Mackowiak and Democrat Matt Angle, discuss who won the first gubernatorial debate, including the candidates’ different viewpoints on abortion rights. NBC 5’s Julie Fine also reports on the debate aftermath from McAllen. Plus, Dallas County Commissioner Mike Cantrell talks John Wiley Price and the secret car crash payouts made by Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins. Watch Lone Star Politics Sunday at 8:40 a.m. on NBC 5.

Federal judge to consider driving distances when ruling on new abortion restrictions

Lucy, a patient advocate, waters potted flowers on the Whole Women's Health Clinic's last day of seeing patients, in McAllen, Texas, March 4, 2014. Jennifer Whitney/The New York Times

Whether a woman should have to drive seven hours for a medical procedure could be a decisive factor in whether the state’s latest abortion restrictions go into effect next month.

Seven clinics will remain open and operating in Texas next month if the law requiring abortion facilities to meet the same standards as hospital-like surgical centers goes into effect. All of the remaining facilities are located in the Houston, San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin metropolitan areas. There will be no abortion clinics west and south of San Antonio.

The state said that the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has already ruled that driving distances of less than 150 miles do not unconstitutionally burden women, but that it has not said that distances greater than 150 miles necessarily would either. The distance from McAllen, in South Texas, to San Antonio is over 230 miles one-way.

U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel asked if anyone would find it reasonable for patients with sprained ankles or needing appendectomies to drive over 150 miles to seek treatment, “I don’t believe we would stand for that on normal medical treatment.”

Yeakel is likely to decide the fate of law before it is set to go into effect Sept. 1. Both sides – the state and abortion providers – are likely to appeal his decision if they lose.

Lawyers on behalf of abortion providers said the costs of building, buying or leasing a facility that meets the requirements, including specific ventilation and sterilization systems, blood supplies, and hall and doorway sizes, is too costly and medically unnecessary.

“There is no evidence whatsoever that these [restrictions] are going to do anything to enhance the health or safety of women,” said Stephanie Toti, a lawyer with the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Closing arguments heard today in latest lawsuit over abortion restrictions

Final arguments over new abortion restrictions that would close all but six of the state’s 20 remaining abortion facilities begins at 10 am in federal court.

U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel is likely to decide the fate of the law before it is set to go into effect Sept. 1. Both sides – the state and abortion providers – are likely to appeal his decision if they lose.

Yeakel requested that the closing arguments focus on the evidence at the center of the case rather than “emotional” issues.

The trial is the second challenge of a sweeping law passed last year that placed new restrictions on abortion providers, which have forced 20 clinics to close since July 2013. In addition to the facilities requirements, the law bans abortion after 20 weeks, limits the use of abortion pills and requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.

Abortion providers have already challenged the requirement that doctors use older protocols in administering abortion pills and the hospital admitting privileges requirement calling them unconstitutional. A panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the providers in March, and the plaintiffs have requested a rehearing by the full court.

The state has over 100 pages of rules and standards for hospital-like surgical centers that abortion clinics would have to meet by next month, including specific ventilation and sterilization systems, hall and doorway sizes and male and female locker rooms for staff. Providers have said that Texas’ remaining 20 abortion clinics would be reduced to six if the law is upheld.

The state argues that the requirements will decrease the risk of complications for abortion patients and are to ensure the safety of women.

Austin abortion clinic to close its doors today ahead of lawsuit over structural requirements

Lucy, a patient advocate, waters potted flowers on the Whole Women's Health Clinic's last day of seeing patients, in McAllen, Texas, March 4, 2014. Jennifer Whitney/The New York Times

Whole Woman’s Health in Austin announced that it will close Thursday because the clinic does not meet the structural standards that will be required of all abortion clinics beginning in September.

The Austin abortion facility is the 17th clinic to close in Texas since November when a new law went into effect requiring doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at hospitals within 30 miles of the clinics. The same law will require clinics to meet the same strict structural standards required of ambulatory surgical centers by September of this year. Fourteen of the 20 clinics still operating do not meet those standards.

“Our license for the Austin clinic was up for renewal and was expiring, and knowing that our facility does not meet the physical plant requirements of HB2′s ASC provision, we unfortunately had to make the difficult decision to not renew the license,” said Whole Woman’s Health spokeswoman Fatimah Gifford.

Whole Woman’s Health is one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the structural requirements scheduled be heard by a federal judge in Austin on Monday. The organization operated five abortion clinics before the new law went into effect, but doctors at the McAllen and Beaumont clinics were unable to get admitting privileges. Now, it is down to one clinic in Ft. Worth and another in San Antonio which does meet the surgical center requirements.

“While Austin has stopped providing abortion care, our Fort Worth clinic remains open and we hold out hope that this trial will allow us to remain open and continue serving that community and possibly even reopen some of the Whole Woman’s Health clinics that HB forced us to close,” Whole Woman’s Health CEO Amy Hagstrom Miller said in a statement released Thursday.

Planned Parenthood intends to open two additional clinics in Dallas and San Antonio that meet both the structural and admitting privileges requirements, which would bring the state total to eight abortion clinics.