Gov. Greg Abbott discusses abortion, the border and guns

Texas: The Issue Is - Interview with Gov. Greg Abbott

Gov. Greg Abbott discusses several issues ahead of the upcoming election.

AUSTIN, Texas - Gov. Greg Abbott sat down for a wide-ranging interview with FOX 7's Rudy Koski on some of the most pressing topics for Texans in this November's election.

Gov. Abbott is leading O'Rourke by 7 points according to a UT Tyler poll, and the governor is confident he will maintain that lead.

Gov. Abbott on abortion

The trigger law banning nearly all abortions in the state of Texas went into effect in August.

There is an exception for when the life of the mother is at risk, but concern over the legality of certain procedures have kept some women from getting care.

"There are some things we need to work on," said Gov. Abbott. "What we do is prioritize the life of the mother as well as the child and there seems to be some confusion about the way the life of the mother is to be protected."

Gov. Abbott says procedures to deal with ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages should not be considered abortions.

The governor said he will push for legislation to clarify which procedures are and are not allowed under Texas law.

When asked if he would consider exceptions for rape and incest Gov. Abbott replied, "that vote was cast last year."

Texas' abortion 'trigger law' goes into effect

The so-called "trigger law" kicked in as a result of the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade in June. People who break the law face life in prison and a $100,000 fine. It makes no exceptions unless a woman's life is in danger.

Gov. Abbott on EPA Regulations

Gov. Abbott said he is fighting back against EPA regulations handed down by the Biden Administration that he says are reducing oil production and raising prices.

"I'm working to prevent those regulations from going into place so that we are able to produce more oil and gas and lower the price at the pump," said Gov. Abbott.

Gov. Abbott on the border

In an interview with FOX 4 Beto O'Rourke said President Biden was not doing enough to help with the situation at the Texas-Mexico border, but did say he would pull back the National Guard.

When asked about the response Gov. Abbott said, "that's kind of typical Beto, where he continues to change what his answers are. If Beto were to be elected it would just be an extension of the Biden administration in the State of Texas. We cannot allow that."

Gov. Abbott hits back at NYC mayor over threat to bus New Yorkers to Texas

Gov. Abbott and NYC mayor Eric Adams have gone back and forth since Texas began busing migrants from the Texas-Mexico border to the Big Apple.

Governor Abbott has faced criticism from Democrats for a program that bused thousands of migrants from the border to Democrat-run cities like New York City, Washington, D.C., and Chicago.

New York mayor Eric Adams called Abbott a hypocrite for "claiming you love America and then decrying the words on the Statue of Liberty."

"The Mayor of New York has been hypocritical for two reasons," Gov. Abbott responded. "They have implemented a sanctuary city policy. Big talk, until they actually had to walk the walk, which they were incapable of doing, but also he is hypocritical in this way: before we began busing illegal immigrants to New York City, President Biden had been flying them into New York, and they were winding up in New York City. But suddenly when the Republican governor from Texas does something about it, he starts complaining."

Gov. Abbott on gun legislation

Families of Uvalde school shooting victims rally with March for Our Lives for gun reform

Family members of the 19 children and two teachers killed in the Uvalde school shooting rallied at the Texas State Capitol with March for Our Lives Saturday.

Abbott's challenger Beto O'Rourke has criticized the governor saying he has not done enough to prevent another shooting like the one at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

"I issued 6 directives on separate days about action to be taken," Gov. Abbott said. "Then after that I charged the legislature with coming up with answers and solutions on 5 different topics."

The governor says he also instructed the Texas Education Agency to take steps to make sure all schools in the state implemented new safety measures about the way to respond to school shootings.