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I read an interview yesterday with one of the women who had an abortion at the horrible clinic that was shut down in Philadelphia. She said she’d tried to go to one of the well-known, respectable clinics — but she was scared off by the protesters. She went to the criminally-negligent clinic because someone told her there wouldn’t be any protesters. Women who are under the stress of an unwanted pregnancy have enough trouble just getting past the logistics (money, insurance, state waiting periods, etc.). To add the emotional coercion and financial demand of forcing them to undergo a sonogram — well, that’s just plain mean. As I keep reminding people, abortion is still legal in America, and a woman’s reason for choosing one is her own damned business. She shouldn’t have to jump through these hoops to exercise her right to the procedure: Gov. Rick Perry has fast-tracked legislation that requires physicians to show women a sonogram before they have an abortion. Perry this weekend added the issue to his list of emergency items, giving lawmakers the ability to consider such bills in the first 30 days of the session. “When you consider the magnitude of the decision to have an abortion, ensuring that the patient understands what’s truly at stake seems a small step to take,” Perry said in a statement.’ “When someone has all the information, the right choice – the choice of life – becomes clear. Now our legislature can take fast action on this important bill because we all know when it comes to saving lives, every second counts.” The list of emergency item this session has now grown to five. Other emergency items that Perry has set include establishing tougher eminent domain laws, abolishing sanctuary cities for undocumented immigrants, requiring voters to present a photo identification at the polls and calling for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would require the federal government to have a balanced budget. The state faces a budget shortfall of between $15 and $27 billion. Critics have questioned the governor’s selection of such emergency items at a time when public education, higher education and health care are facing deep cuts.