Houston found itself at the center of a political firestorm this week, when a grand jury investigating wrongdoing against Planned Parenthood instead indicted two abortion opponents. Texas Republican leaders issued defiant statements in response to the indictment, reports The New York Times.Texas officials in recent years have become ever more staunchly and overtly anti-abortion.
Two years ago, the Texas Legislature passed some of the toughest abortion restrictions in the country. Lawmakers left only 18 abortion facilities open in a state with 5.4 million women of reproductive age. And several of those clinics are at risk of closing.
However, while this most recent investigation backfired, the next one likely won’t. “[Republican leaders in Texas] aren’t used to losing, and not only have they lost, they’ve been embarrassed,” says a recent Texas Observer editorial. “They aren’t going to let it happen again.”