Rep. Dukes wasn’t alone on this one – Texas House April 29, on HB 15. She was dramatically joined by Houston’s Jessica Farrar, as well as dozens of reps (including Elliott Naishtat and Eddie Rodriguez) who fought to amend a bill designed to restrict women’s reproductive rights by delay, misinformation, and other obstacles. But in late April as the bill moved toward final passage, Dukes finally had heard enough sanctimony from the hard right about defending the rights and health of pregnant women. "This bill is nothing but a smoke screen so that women will be frightened during that 24-hour time period and coerced into changing their minds," she declared. "Well, put a burqua over me and a veil over my head, because I obviously have no rights. A woman has no rights in this state, when they are being given misinformation and misled and there’s no attempt to balance the information."
