HOUSTON — Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is pushing back and going after his Democratic opponent, Beto O'Rourke, on abortion issues.
Abbott, who signed one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country into law, is accusing Beto O'Rourke of supporting late-term abortions.
O'Rourke says his stance on abortion is clear. He believes the government should not be making these types of decisions for women.
O'Rourke stopped in the Houston area on Wednesday for a second straight day.
“Alright, Conroe, Montgomery County, how are we doing?” O’Rourke asked while greeting more than 350 supporters at the event.
Montgomery County is a Republican stronghold, but the Democratic gubernatorial candidate is continuing to push to get voters wherever he can.
“I understand that it is tough right now in the state of Texas, but I think we all understand that we’re tougher than this moment,” he said.
Recent polling shows O'Rourke within the margin of error. One poll from the University of Texas shows him within five points of the governor. Another from NetChoice shows a two-point gap.
And the gloves are coming off for Abbott. During a one-on-one interview with our Len Cannon Monday, Abbott accused O'Rourke of supporting “late-term abortions.”
“I’m not exactly sure what that phrase means and the other phrases the governor is using to try to scare people. I think most Texas women know what reproductive healthcare freedom means,” O’Rourke said in response.
When pressed on any specific restrictions, whether it’s 6 weeks, 12 weeks or a 20-week ban, the former congressman said his policy is in line with the policies before the Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade.
“I go back to Roe v. Wade, which was the prevailing law of the land, that protection won by Texas women in 1973 set by the United States Supreme Court followed more or less for nearly 50 years," O'Rourke said. "Every woman that I’ve talked to about their pregnancy, whether it was ectopic, or complicated, or the fetus was not viable was individual, was personal and very often was painful,” O’Rourke said.
The Democratic nominee adds Texas should get back to trusting women to make the decisions.
The Roe decision allowed up to around 24 weeks with exceptions after the fact for the life of the mother.
Len Cannon's full interview with Gov. Greg Abbott can be watched below: