Observing the cantankerous scene in the Texas Senate on Tuesday night, a Republican state representative exclaimed on Twitter that opponents of anti-abortion legislation are simply "terrorist."
"We had terrorist in the Texas State Senate opposing SB 5," Bill Zedler, who represents Arlington in Texas District 96, wrote at 12:48 a.m. CST.
Some two hours later, after hundreds of people called out his comment, he added: "Disruptive behavior of pro-abortion crowd was encouraged by some Texas House Democrats."
Zedler was the author of H.B. 650, known as the Birther Bill, which would have required all presidential and vice presidential candidates to submit a birth certificate to Texas officials for examination before they could be placed on the statewide ballot. That bill died in committee at the beginning of May. He was also behind a failed push earlier this year to shutter all the LGBT centers on Texas college campuses.
Zedler is especially known for convincing the Texas Department of Health and Human Services to begin collecting detailed information on women who undergo an abortion. He originally tried to implement the measure by legislation in 2011, but when that failed Zedler went through back-channels to force the rule through, sparking cries of foul play.
Pro-choice demonstrators on Wednesday morning barely managed to stave off an effort by Republicans to shutter nearly all the state's abortion clinics and revoke the right to terminate a pregnancy after 20 weeks. After a 10-hour filibuster by Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Ft. Worth) was cut short by Republicans on a three-strike "point of order" system, demonstrators in the gallery finished out the special session by shouting as loudly as they could until the clock struck midnight, preventing the vote from going through on time.
Although Republicans initially claimed the vote passed with seconds to spare, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst (R) later took the Senate floor to announce the bill had failed.
Zedler did not respond to inquiries on Twitter or an email to his campaign website. A message left with his office in the Texas Capitol was not returned, and a phone number on his campaign website was no longer in service.
