Perry to Co-Chair AUL Gala

Perry will join House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions as co-chairs of the the public-interest law and policy group’s 40th anniversary gala in Washington, D.C. in November. Republican presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann will also serve as an honorary host of the event, along with 78 other members of Congress. AUL was formed in 1971–a year before the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal in every state.

As governor of Texas, Perry has signed several bills into law related to abortion, earning him praise from conservatives and scorn from pro-abortion rights groups.

In May, Perry signed a Texas bill into law requiring that all women seeking abortions receive a sonogram before the procedure. The law mandates that doctors offer to show the images to the woman, describe the size of the fetus’ limbs and organs, and allow her to hear and feel the heartbeat. Women who live within 100 miles of an abortion provider must then wait 24 hours after the sonogram to undergo the procedure. The law exempted women seeking abortions for rape or incest…Largely due to Perry’s efforts since he moved into the governor’s mansion in 2000, AUL rated Texas in the top five states in its latest annual state-by-state report card.