Wendy Davis: I'd Support a 20-Week Abortion Ban

Wendy Davis may have become famous by filibustering a law that would ban abortions after 20 weeks, but now the would-be governor tells the Dallas Morning News that she could support such a ban—if it were written correctly. Less than 0.5% of Texas' abortions occur that late, and usually those cases involve fetal abnormalities or a health risk to the mother. "I would line up with most people in Texas who would prefer that that's not something that happens outside of those two arenas," she said.

The bill Davis filibustered had exemptions for both fetal abnormalities and threats to the mother's life, but Davis says it "didn't give enough deference between a woman and her doctor in making this difficult decision." Davis was even more concerned that the law limited availability with new restrictions that would force clinics to close. The Morning News' editorial board also learned that Davis supports medical marijuana, and possibly decriminalizing it. Davis appears to have impressed the paper, which hasn't always been kind to her. "There's a lot more to Wendy Davis than her critics give her credit for," editorial writer Tod Robberson wrote afterward. (More Wendy Davis stories.)