Rick Perry may think abortion should be outlawed, but his wife disagrees.
Texas First Lady Anita Perry told an interviewer on Saturday that she believes it is “a woman’s right” to have full control of her reproductive health. When asked at the Texas Tribune Festival if she believed abortion should be a personal choice, Perry said, “I mean, I think that yeah, that could be a woman’s right. Just like it’s a man’s right if he wants to have some kind of procedure.”
Governor Perry has said that he believes abortion should be banned and said in December that he aimed to make the procedure “a thing of the past.” He also signed a bill this July that could lead to the closure of nearly all of Texas’ abortion clinics. He also banned abortions after 20 weeks. National women’s rights groups and health care providers have filed suit to overturn the clinic-shuttering law, which is set to take effect on October 29.
Anita Perry is not the only Texas first lady to be more progressive on reproductive rights than her husband. Laura Bush is also on record supporting Roe v. Wade.
Meredith Clark
Meredith Clark is a freelance writer and editor. She was previously a senior news producer for "Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj," a reporter with MSNBC.com, the digital politics and culture editor at Glamour and a senior news and politics editor at Refinery29. She has written for Vulture, Rolling Stone, Self, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Beast and Bustle.