There were 14,000 documented rapes in the state in 2019 alone.
Last week, Texas' new anti-abortion law went into effect. The law makes it illegal for women to have an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, which is before many women know they are pregnant. It also doesn't make exceptions for rape or incest and makes having the procedure done for purely medical purposes much harder for women in need.
Now Governor Greg Abbott is defending the legislation, but what he said recently while signing a different bill is drawing a lot of confusion.
When Abbott was asked why he would defend a law that would force women to carry a child that was a product of rape, he said it actually doesn't. "Obviously it provides at least six weeks for a person to be able to get an abortion." These comments raised some red flags from people who wondered how much the governor understands about pregnancy because most women don't have any symptoms of being pregnant until right around the six-week mark.
But the most stunning comment Governor Abbott made was about rape. "Rape is a crime and Texas will work tirelessly to make sure that we eliminate all rapists from the streets," he told the reporter. "So, goal number one in the state of Texas is to eliminate rape so that no woman, no person, will be a victim of rape."
The comment is getting tons of criticism, and rightfully so. Texas had about 14,000 documented rapes in the year 2019. That's about a quarter of all reported violent crimes. It's a massive problem in the state, and to pretend that he will simply eliminate rape, practically overnight, so that women won't ever have to worry about carrying a child that was a product of rape is absurd.
Last week, Texas' new anti-abortion law went into effect. The law makes it illegal for women to have an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, which is before many women know they are pregnant. It also doesn't make exceptions for rape or incest and makes having the procedure done for purely medical purposes much harder for women in need.
Now Governor Greg Abbott is defending the legislation, but what he said recently while signing a different bill is drawing a lot of confusion.
But the most stunning comment Governor Abbott made was about rape. "Rape is a crime and Texas will work tirelessly to make sure that we eliminate all rapists from the streets," he told the reporter. "So, goal number one in the state of Texas is to eliminate rape so that no woman, no person, will be a victim of rape."
The comment is getting tons of criticism, and rightfully so. Texas had about 14,000 documented rapes in the year 2019. That's about a quarter of all reported violent crimes. It's a massive problem in the state, and to pretend that he will simply eliminate rape, practically overnight, so that women won't ever have to worry about carrying a child that was a product of rape is absurd.
