By Juan Montoya
Not content with having deprived poor women in South Texas the choice of having children or not, State Senator Eddie Lucio Jr. now wants to subject them to an hour-long video on the joys of adoption before they can undergo an abortion.
If this isn't the classic case of imposing one's morality on another and using the power of the state to subject them to his wishes, we can't think of another more obvious than this one.
Lucio has been riding the anti-abortion wagon for all it's worth. During the last session, he hobnobbed with Republican Gov. Rick Perry when he signed the bill restricting abortions – and a woman's right to choose – under the guise of improving women's health.
The impact of that legislation became abundantly clear when it forced the shutdown of any abortion clinics operating in South Texas. Now, statistics gathered by the state by Fight Back Texas indicates that women who want to undergo the procedure are having to travel as far as San Antonio to have it performed.
If a woman is not a legal resident, that avenue is also closed. Lucio is one of those guys who doesn't care whether the pregnancy came about through rape or incest or whether the woman has chosen not to give birth for her own personal reasons.
Wealthy women, however, can travel anywhere and terminate their pregnancy. It is the poor, however, who are the most affected. And wealthy or poor, it is the woman who will live with her decision. Why impose your morality on top all the hurdles to make this most difficult decision even more so?
Lucio thinks that all women should be forced to carry the pregnancy to its end regardless of their circumstance or personal choice.
He probably figures that a child should have the privilege of living in his district where nearly half of the children suffer a life of poverty.
Senate District 27 includes all of Cameron, Kenedy, Kleberg, Willacy counties and part of Hidalgo county.
Hidalgo County reported that 130,291, or 47.9 percent of children living there live in poverty.
Cameron County is not much different, reporting that 62,449, or 46.7 percent of children there are also poor.
Willacy County reported that 2,502, or 43.3 percent of children lived in poverty there.
Kenedy County actually fares better because of its smaller population, with 30 children, or 27.3 percent reported living in poverty.
These children of poor families reflect a sad truth, that while the Texas right-to-work economy is rising, the parents have to face unemployment rates higher than the state and nation.
Hidalgo County reported that it has 38,095 people unemployed, a 12 percent unemployment rate.
Cameron County is just behind Hidalgo with 19,171 listed as unemployed, or an 11.8 percent unemployment rate. Willacy County reported 1,351 of its residents out of work, a 14.3 percentage rate.And Kenedy County reported the lowest rate with 131 people out of work for a 8.6 percentage rate.
That the good senator has been since 1990 and before that he served two terms (four years) as a state representative and amass these kind of sorry economic statistics is horrendous.
That's a total of 28 years in the Legislature and his constituents have sorry little gains to show for his presence there.
In fact, his hometown (Brownsville) has been named the poorest community in the entire United States.
If after more than a quarter century in Austin and he hasn't been able to deliver the goods, how on earth does he have time to worry whether a poor woman in his district decides whether she want to bring a child into this region of poverty or not?
It's time for Eddie to stop hamming it up for the media and hogging the moral spotlight and bring home the bacon.
10 comments:
Lucio is a DICK and continues to avoid issues important to the RGV and side with Republican radicals on the issue of women's right. He shows up for photo ops in the RGV to remind voters of who he is, but seldom says anything that serves the issues here. Lucio Jr, and Lucio (Turd), along with Rene Oliviera and Ruben Hinojosa continue to avoid doing anything real...they just latch on to the coat tail of prominent officials and lobby groups. All these elected men are funded by special interests and speak out on issues related to those groups. None have really taken a position on the immigration problem, although is has been a problem during their tenures. The show up for photo ops with senior officials, but don't take a real position, as Henry Cuellar has done. If Muhammed Ali, the great boxer, were to come to the valley he would have a lot of dopes to rope.
Both Lucio's are real dopes and we can expect little out of them....their vote has been bought by lobbyists.
There are more important things to do as legislators instead of farting around with women's anatomy. I.E. Education. Medical, environment issues, infra-structure development, border dilemmas, etc. What are these idiots thinking and doing ?
He needs to be put out to pasture. He can spread all his BS there and nobody would care.
The sign at the top of this article "Sen. Lucio does not represent me" is very true. Sen Eddie Lucio only represents himself and those special interest groups that pay him. He, like others elected here in the valley are willing to sell their votes in the State or National Legislatures. Eddie Lucio is a bum as is his son.
While we are on the topic of morality (especially issues involving children, born or unborn), why don't we mention the widespread and systemic torture and sexual violence by priests.
The context of clergy sexual violence is a particularly insidious and devastating kind of harm given the betrayal of trust and profound significance of religious authority, with priests and bishops held out as God's "representatives."
Considering the severity and often lifelong harm combined with the ongoing and pervasive sexual violence by Catholic clergy around the world and still-mounting evidence of cover-ups by higher-level church officials, ANY moral high-road that ANY elected official might attempt to take 'for the life of the child' is the height of hypocrisy; (particularly any of them that declare themselves to be 'Good Catholics')!
Lucio is most despicable. He is a true hypocrite. This lying, cheating disgrace of a human being has been a failure and an embarrassment his entire political career. Without the politiqueras, a good candidate could easily take him out.
Lucio is a true Republican and if he is not we sure don't want to claim him. He considers himself as the Todd Akin from Missouri with a bit of Mike Huckabee. This has pleased Rick Perry because he knows he has a true friend that he can depend on. I am sure that if Lucio cares so much for anti-abortion why isn't he proactively fighting against capital punishment? Lucio feels that by just building a chapel in his home that that will automatically create a halo in his head. I really wonder if he will back Wendy Davis instead of Gregg Abbott.
If he had a brain he'd be dangerous!
Too bad Eddie's mother did not have an abortion.
It's pretty difficult to take you seriously when you begin a post by saying Lucio "deprived poor women in South Texas the choice of having children or not." You can't possibly believe Lucio, or anyone else who is against abortion, is forcing women to have unprotected sex. You're a smart man and I know you must have a better argument for your position. Don't come down to the level of the 3 or 4 daily visitors who peaked in high school. I don't know you but suspect you're much better than that.
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