Wondering why the 'yes' vote
I placed a phone call to the office of Texas state Sen. Kel Seliger the other day after I learned that the Amarillo Republican — a man I know well and who I consider to be a friend — had decided to end his legislative career.
He won’t seek re-election to another term in 2022.
I asked a key Seliger aide a question that I feared would produce an answer I didn’t want to hear.
“How did Kel vote on the Texas abortion ban?” I asked. The answer was both cagey but precise. “The senator voted with his party on that,” came the reply. I pressed the aide: “Does that mean he voted for the bill?” The response was the same: “He voted with his party.” I find the response to be curious for this reason: A single GOP Senate vote against the measure would not have doomed it; the bill still had enough votes to pass and to find its way to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. Why would Seliger oppose such a bill? I long have understood that he has given financial support to Planned Parenthood, an organization associated with abortion rights, even though the Texas Panhandle chapter, as I understand it, doesn’t refer women directly to abortion providers.
OK. There you have it. Seliger decided to go with his party and vote for a bill that bans abortion at any period after the sixth week of pregnancy, with no exception for rape or incest.
I still hope to talk Seliger about the bill and his reason for voting for it.
Our differences on this matter notwithstanding, I still consider Seliger to be my friend.