Anti-Choice Texas Gubernatorial Candidate Debra Medina “More Conservative Than Thou”

Dark horse Texas gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina is positioning herself as further right than conservative Governor Rick Perry. She is staunchly anti-choice.

This article was updated at 10:03 p.m., Monday, February 15th to correct an error.  The earlier version incorrectly referred to the NYT article cited here as referring to Ms. Medina’s position on abortion as nuanced.  In fact, the article was referring to the position of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.  We regret and apologize for this editorial error.

Despite Glenn Beck declaring that she could be "written off the list" of competitive Republican candidates vying for the party nomination in the race for governor of Texas, Debra Medina may in fact be positioned to pose a real threat for the nod. The former nurse, current business woman and GOP activist is now neck and neck with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in polling among likely primary voters, fighting for second place behind Governor Rick Perry.

Medina is one of the many candidates fighting to be "more conservative than thou" in an attempt to win over the party base.  According to the New York Times, Medina staunchly advocates for states’ rights, abolishing property taxes, deploying the Texas National Guard to protect the border from illegal immigrants, and unregulated ownership of property and guns, opposing all federal gun laws.

Medina is also a staunch opponent of abortion rights.

"Life begins at conception and concludes at natural death," she states on her campaign website.  "Every
human is created in the image of God. God, not man, is the measure of
all things. Every human life is precious and I will work to protect
innocent human life."

In 2004 Medina became the head of the Wharton County Republican Party, subjecting those interested in local support to answer to a litmus test of GOP ideals.  Her biggest question?  "Are you against abortion?" 

An opponent from inside the party, Merle Huggins, even referred to the county GOP under Medina’s leadership as "Debra Medina’s little Taliban society."

During her appearance on the Lynn Woolley Show (start at 7:37), Medina stated support for abolishing Roe:

LW: Kay Bailey Hutchison was asked about Roe V Wade, and she was asked 4 times, would you favor abolishing Roe V Wade, and the answer was no I would not, but she never would say that, because she had this nuanced answer about well, that would send it back to the states, and then some states would be open abortion, which is kind of the way we are now.  Let me ask you, Debra Medina, the same question, straight ahead, are you in favor of abolishing Roe V Wade?

DM: Yeah and I’d really like to know why we haven’t done that in Texas.  If we’re as pro-life as a state as I think we are, I think we should be pushing the Supreme Court to overturn it. And that means you ban abortion in Texas, you take a hard stand on that.  You do all you can to protect and care for and comfort women who find themselves in an unwanted pregnancy.  But government’s job is to protect innocent life.  There’s none more innocent than that unborn baby. So I believe we really should have done a lot more work than we have and not let the Supreme Court or the Federal Government tell us we can’t otherwise.

LM: Alright, so there’s no question then about Debra Medina’s commitment to life?

DM: There ought not be.