Controversy? TX Governor Signs Pro-Life Measure in Christian School's Gym
by Jody Brown
June 8, 2005
(AgapePress) - It's difficult to tell which aspect of Texas Governor Rick Perry's activities on Sunday have liberals and abortion advocates most upset: what he did -- or where he did it.The scene was Calvary Christian Academy, an established and accredited Christian school of about 300 students located just off Interstate 35 in Fort Worth. The school is affiliated with and located near Calvary Cathedral International, a large evangelical church founded by Pastor Bob Nichols more than 40 years ago.
According to news reports, a crowd of about 1,000 people gathered in the school's gymnasium on Sunday (June 5) to hear the governor and several pro-family leaders speak -- and to witness Perry's ceremonial signature on legislation that would require consent from a parent before an abortion can be performed on a minor. The actual bill was signed earlier in Austin. While there, the governor also signed a resolution to amend the Texas Constitution by banning same-sex "marriages" -- strictly a ceremonial act, since voters will decide in November whether to approve the resolution.
Regarding the parental consent measure, the governor told the crowd "for too long, a blind eye has been turned to the rights of our most vulnerable human beings -- that's the unborn in our society." And in reference to the pending vote on a constitutional marriage amendment, he added that "a nurturing home with a loving mother and loving father is the best way to guide our children down the proper path."
The pro-life legislation, which was passed by the State Senate on a 23-7 vote and by the State House 117-19, strengthens the state's existing parental notification requirement. It also prohibits abortions after the 26th week of pregnancy, unless abortion is deemed necessary to save the mother's life or if the unborn child has serious brain damage. According to Associated Press, several pastors in attendance received standing ovations and shouts of "Amen!" from the crowd as they touted the two measures being signed by Perry.
But outside the gymnasium, demonstrators protested -- some of them against the abortion-related legislation, some of them against the signing of the bill on church property. And even before the event, Barry Lynn -- executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State -- denounced the locale for the bill signing, saying it had the "appearance of a campaign rally."
"This is one of the most outrageous misuses of a house of worship for political gain that I've ever seen," Lynn said in a press release. "It's of highly dubious legality and could put the church's tax-exemption in jeopardy."
But one of the pro-family leaders speaking on Sunday dismissed such criticism. "This is not the sanctuary," said Don Wildmon of the American Family Association, who portrayed the controversy as silly. "Of all the things in the world to argue about."
Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council also spoke to the issue. "I didn't know you could make something in a school gymnasium so controversial," he said, adding that Christians need to speak out after having "abandoned the public square for so many years."
As to the rally's location and critics' comments that it violated the Establishment Clause in the U.S. Constitution, Governor Perry's spokeswoman Kathy Walt told the New York Times, "It's not a separation of church and state issue; it's not limited to people of one faith. [Governor Perry] is signing a piece of legislation that reflects the values and interests of the majority of Texans."
LifeNews.com reports that according to a Scripps-Howard Texas poll conducted in October 2004, 81 percent of Texans support requiring parental consent before a minor can obtain an abortion.
