To go beyond the typical Republic vs. Democrat narrative and understand the real story, we took a look at key votes that forced legislators to reveal their true stripes. Several political organizations publish legislative score cards which rank legislators on votes important to their cause. Texas Right to Life, for example, scores legislators on votes related to life issues. There are also non-partisan scorecards, such as the liberal-conservative index compiled by Dr. Mark Jones of Rice University. While these are instructive, often a legislator’s final vote doesn’t reveal his or her true intentions.

Texas Right to Life (TRTL) is the largest, and oldest pro-life advocacy group in the state of Texas. Their political arm lobbies legislators during the legislative session to enact conservative reforms on life issues, while their PAC works during campaign season to elect conservatives and defeat Republicans they deem unwilling to stand for life.