The war against women

Texas vagina intruders: New state law allows invasive ultrasound procedure likeridiculed Virginia bill

At my first faculty meeting 30 years ago, after moving from Boston, I found it curious when my boss announced, "Hide the women and children — the state legislature is in session!"

Jumping ahead to now, all I can say is some things never change.

The last couple of years have been especially devastating for Texas women and children. Facing tremendous budget deficits, the state threw the most vulnerable of us — our children — under the bus by drastically cutting billions of dollars from public education, health care and social services.

It’s been even worse for Texas women. Beginning this month, Texas women seeking an abortion can now be legally “raped." It’s called the Texas sonogram law. You’re probably wondering what I’m talking about — rape? Well, a law passed by a tea party state legislature (composed of a bunch of middle-age white guys) and signed by Perry as an “emergency measure," requires doctors to perform a sonogram on any woman seeking an abortion.

It’s been even worse for Texas women. Beginning this month, Texas women seeking an abortion can now be legally “raped." It’s called the Texas sonogram law.

Well, where’s “the rape” you say? It’s just a sonogram: A little jelly on the belly, snap a few pictures and you’re on your way.

Not so fast.

Our vagina intruders in Austin are not as dumb as they may seem. What they failed to mention in the law was that the belly ultrasound might not be sensitive enough to pick up the fetal heart beat that you’re required to hear by law. A more sensitive ultrasound may be needed.

Now, here’s where the “rape” comes in — I’m talking about the trans-vaginal ultrasound. It’s a “probe” that’s inserted into the vagina to pick up the fetal heart beat. This is the very same procedure that caused all the rage in Virginia’s ultrasound law last week. Yes, Texas has a similar state sanctioned medical procedure. Sounds a lot like mandated health care doesn't it?

The Texas law went into effect a couple of weeks ago and once word gets out, Texas women hopefully will follow their Virginia sisters and express their outrage over being legally required, against their will and without their consent, to undergo an unnecessary medical procedure. Just imagine having to go through this after being sexually assaulted.

This bunch of so-called pro-lifers — Perry and the Texas Right to Life folks — only care about the fetus. If they really gave a damn about life, wouldn't they do something about teen pregnancy?

Texas has the third highest rate of teen pregnancy in the country (a state where abstinence rules in public school health classes), the lowest rate of children’s health insurance, one of the highest rates of poverty, the highest rates of minimum-wage jobs that do not provide health insurance or the financial means to raise a family and one of the lowest standards of education in the country? Does any of that sound pro-life?

Perry is continuing his assault on women’s health. Last week he enacted a new rule banning state funds from going to any health center affiliated with any group that offers abortions. The measure will effectively end the Women's Health Program in our state which provides 160,000 low-income women the basic reproductive health care services they need, like screenings for cervical and breast cancer, and pre-natal care and family planning, because federal law prohibits states from discriminating against specific providers in the allocation of Medicaid.

Unless some agreement changes things, the program, which receives $9 in federal funding for every $1 in state spending, will be either phased out or cut off by the end of March, throwing low-income women under the bus. And I haven’t even touched upon what Washington wants to do with birth control under the guise of religious freedom. So much for compassionate conservatism.

The far right wants you to believe these cuts to women’s health care have to do with preventing abortions and saving lives. Don’t believe it — by law, public funds have never been able to be used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning.

Women have the right to plan pregnancies so they can continue their educations, pursue their careers, support their families, and achieve their life goals. And old white guys shouldn’t be allowed to tell them otherwise.

Kreisberg is a Texas health care consultant.

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room for improvement

Houston has work to do on ranking of America's fittest cities for 2026

Photo by Gabin Vallet on Unsplash

About 74 percent of Houstonians have exercised in the past month.

Houstonians are more fit than they used to be, but the city still needs to hit the gym. The Bayou City ranks in the middle of the pack in a ranking of America's fittest cities.

This year’s American Fitness Index puts Houston at No. 44 among the country’s 100 most populated cities, up from 49th place last year. Houston ranks 26th in the personal health category and a disappointing 64th in the community and environment category.

The index shows 74 percent of Houston residents had exercised in the previous month, 57 percent had met aerobic activity guidelines, and 33 percent had met aerobic and strength activity guidelines. The first two of those numbers are below the 100-city averages.

The Elevance Health Foundation and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) produce the annual index, which they say combines measures of personal health behavior, chronic disease outcomes, community infrastructure, and environmental factors “to provide a comprehensive picture of how well cities promote fitness and well-being.”

Arlington, Virginia, tops the index, followed by Washington, D.C.; Minneapolis; Seattle; and Denver. The Dallas suburb of Plano takes the top Texas spot at No. 12 nationally.

“The cities that consistently rank at the top aren’t succeeding because of one program or one investment,” Stella Volpe, past president of ACSM and chair of the Fitness Index Advisory Board, says in a press release. “They’ve built systems that support healthier living over time. They are the ones creating environments where physical activity can easily become a part of everyday routines.”

One thing helping Houston is its strong network of parks. In May, Houston landed at No. 10 in Texas and 69th in the U.S. in the annual ParkScore Index. That was down slightly from 2025.

Every year, land conservation nonprofit The Trust for Public Land rates park systems in the 100 biggest American cities on accessibility, equity, acreage, investment, and amenities.

Among other Texas cities appearing in the American Fitness index are:

No. 28 Austin, down from No. 21 last year.
No. 43 Dallas, up from 46th last year.
No. 69 Fort Worth, up from 80th last year.
No. 80 San Antonio, up from No. 94 last year.

“Where you live increasingly determines how healthy you are,” Volpe says. “The healthiest cities don’t just encourage exercise — they make movement part of daily life through infrastructure, transportation, and community design.”

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