The longest-serving First Lady of Texas, Anita Perry, faltered on her views on abortion at her talk at the Texas Tribune Festival this morning.

“I see it as a woman’s right…you know if they wanna do that, that is their decision, they have to live with that decision,” Perry said.

Evan Smith, the CEO and editor-in-chief of the Texas Tribune replied, “Mrs. Perry, I wanna be sure that you didn’t just inadvertently make news.”

“No…I think it goes back to the states and Texas has decided that no that is not what we want in the states,” Perry said. “Well I don’t really think that’s breaking news, I mean I think that’s you know, yeah that could be a woman’s right.”

Perry backtracked and elaborated on her views on abortion.

“Just like it’s a man’s right if he wants to have some kind of procedure,” Perry said. “There are two sides to every nickel…God made us our own individuals.”

Abortion Statistics According to Perry:

• Texas just went from allowing abortions after 24 weeks to 20 weeks.
• Only four countries in the world allow abortion after 20 weeks.

Perry, who has been the First Lady of Texas for 13 years, also spoke in a room full of more empty chairs than full ones about how she thinks her husband is misunderstood and whether or not he would be running for presidential office again.

How Rick Perry Is Misunderstood

When asked by Smith if Perry thought her husband was misunderstood, she said “I do.”

One of the issues she discussed was her husband’s “swagger.”

“Swagger, you know to me, my husband doesn’t swagger. That happens to be the way he walks, he walks just like his mother,” Perry said.

Smith added that people think he is cocky, but Perry defended that statement.

“He’s the guy you wanna have a beer with,” Perry said.

Another issue Perry defended for her husband was his “oops” presidential debate error, which she referred to as a “human error.”

She also believes her husband’s comments about Senator Wendy Davis were misinterpreted, but maybe if he would have worded his comment differently, it would have been taken more lightly.

2016 Presidential Campaign?

When pressed on whether or not her husband would be running again, Perry did not have much to say.

“I think that in 15 months, whenever the time is appropriate that we look at that decision, where we are in our lives at that certain time and make that choice then and if he feels prepared, perhaps,” Perry said.

Perry also added that it takes about two years to prepare for a campaign, and that it was not the best time for her husband to run last time because he had just undergone back surgery six weeks before.

“[But] yes, if he makes that decision then I’m gonna be right there with him,” Perry said.

However, it was Perry’s lack of a straight answer on her own views on abortion that stood out most to those present at the talk.

Mixed Views

The fact that Anita Perry backtracked on her views on abortion was shocking to some, especially when she stated earlier in the talk that she likes to consider herself a “strong Texas woman.”

“She kind of backtracked on when she was talking about abortions so I wasn’t real sure what her real answer would be,” Denice Bettencourt, an information specialist for the Texas Department of Transportation, said. “It was kind of shocking to me that she would backtrack and just wouldn’t tell what her views were.”

Another attendee agreed with Bettencourt.

“I guess she didn’t feel like she could even be outright with her beliefs,” Hannah Brown, a junior from Longview High School said.