FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Senate confirms Pro-Life Governor Rick Perry as Secretary of Energy
Washington, D.C., – March 2, 2017: The United States Senate confirmed longtime Pro-Life advocate and friend of Texas Right to Life Governor Rick Perry as Secretary of Energy. Texas Right to Life has enjoyed a fruitful relationship with our Pro-Life former governor, Rick Perry, since before he was elected as Lieutenant Governor in 1998. Although the duties of the Secretary of Energy do not encompass Pro-Life matters, Governor Perry has a proven record of courageous moral leadership and strong faith as manifested in his unmatched Pro-Life achievements. We are pleased that President Trump has recognized in Governor Perry what we at Texas Right to Life have known for years: a trusted, focused leader who does not veer from his values.
Perry’s accomplishments regarding the Right to Life include:
- In 2013, he cleared the procedural hurdles for the passage of the landmark House Bill 2, the Pro-Life Omnibus Bill, calling for a special session of the Texas Legislature to address Pro-Life issues.
- In 2011, Governor Perry fast-tracked the sonogram bill through procedural hurdles so that the sonogram requirement would become law.
- In 2011, he partnered with Texas Right to Life to cut revenue from the abortion industry in the state’s budget.
- Governor Perry protected and increased funds for the state’s program for Alternatives to Abortion program beginning in 2005.
- He signed Texas’ version of informed consent before an abortion, the Woman’s Right to Know Act, in 2003. The bill established a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion and also required that information be offered to women seeking abortions.
- He proved his uncompromising beliefs on embryo-destroying research, confirming that human Life begins at fertilization.
- In 1999, his first act as lieutenant governor was to structure the committees in the State Senate to facilitate the passage of a Pro-Life agenda.
The president’s selection of Governor Perry for Secretary of Energy signals a Pro-Life resolve within the Trump administration. Texas Right to Life is confident that Perry’s post in the president’s cabinet will strengthen the administration’s determination to protect all innocent human Life.
With so many vital decisions before the president, Texas Right to Life is encouraged that Governor Perry’s leadership plays a role in shaping the policies of our nation.