Larry D. Lauer

It seems obvious to me that reproductive rights are far too personal to be the business of politicians.

It also seems clear to me that you can believe in “right-to-life” and still accept that there are some very serious medical and psychological reasons why some pregnancies’ should be terminated.

Ask most any medical doctor who treats women.

Politicians certainly don’t have the knowledge necessary to legislate these decisions. And it’s also not their business to pass laws related to any other private and very personal situations.

I have therefore come to believe that it’s possible to believe life is sacred… and still know there are some very legitimate medical and psychological exceptions to terminate a pregnancy. Truthfully, too much of our medical system has already been needlessly paralyzed.

I dedicate this post to my friend, who was one of the most prominent and ethical OBGYNs in the city… and to thank him for teaching me about all this.

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I came to Texas in 1966 to teach about media at TCU. No one I met at the time asked me about my politics. I mostly found independent-thinking people who did not want any government to mess with their personal freedom. They believed in self-reliance, and their own ability to take care of themselves and their families. Some were important oil people, others were professors. All cherished their personal freedom. No one ever criticized how I understood and taught my subject-matter. Academic freedom was alive and well.

When I first represented TCU in Austin, the legislature was made up of both liberal and conservative Democrats. Gradually conservatives became Republicans… and eventually the most extreme of them went about gerrymandering voting districts in order to remain in power.

Over the years, conservative politicians eventually took control of social issues: these include women’s reproductive rights, using tax-supported vouchers to support private schools, taking away control of important city issues, using tax breaks to recruit businesses into the state, using reduced property taxes to divert attention away from other issues, making private owners responsible for flaws in the electric grid, taking decision-making away from librarians, stating what subjects should and should not be taught in schools and colleges, and setting what gender policies are appropriate for every family, and much more.

Where are the “real Texans” I found in 1966?

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