State House Speaker Joe Straus was there, but not really there.

Yes, he showed up at an anti-abortion rally today at the Capitol and greeted some organizers, but he didn't speak at the rally, and told the Austin American-Statesman, "You know, I haven’t even looked at it. I just know generally that it’s an ultrasound bill. I haven’t read it.”

The bill would require doctors to show a woman an ultrasound photo of her pregnancy before she can seek an abortion. The legislation — by state Sen. Dan Patrick of Houston and state Rep. Frank Corte of San Antonio, both of whom are Straus' fellow Republicans — is among the most stringent proposed in 11 states.

Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Attorney General Greg Abbott today publicly expressed their strong support for bill.

In other Straus-related news, Houston's state Rep. Jessica Farrar, the new chairwoman of the House Democratic caucus, is giving the new speaker a thump on the head today, saying his choices on committee assignments were "politically calculated."


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