Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus on Sunday dismissed questions regarding a devastating federal appeals court decision last week that will close all but eight abortion clinics in Texas, saying abortion wouldn’t be a critical issue in the midterm elections.
Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press” opened the conversation on the Texas abortion law that was upheld Thursday saying, “One of the things about the Republican party is you don’t like a lot of regulation on businesses, except if the business is a abortion clinic.”
Among other things, the Texas law requites doctors working in abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. The law also requires clinics to be designed and equipped as ambulatory surgical facilities. Most clinics in Texas have been unable to meet those requirements, which the medical community has called unnecessary.
“Eighty percent of these abortion clinics in Texas are going to be basically out of business because of this new law. Too much regulation, is that fair? Why regulate on the abortion issue now? … Why resist a business now in Texas?” Todd asked.
Priebus said his party believes that women faced with an unplanned pregnancy “deserve compassion, respect, counseling, whatever it is that we can offer.” Todd replied, “But 80% of those abortion clinics are gone. so they have to drive 2-or 300 miles for that compassion?”
Priebus attempted to defend the ruling, saying the law was simply about taxpayers’ money.
“The issue for us is only one thing. And that’s whether you ought to use taxpayer money to fund abortion,” he stated. “That’s the one issue that I think separates this conversation that we’re having.”









