Fresh off of signing a widely criticized voter suppression bill into law, Republican Governor Greg Abbott of Texas answered questions regarding Senate Bill 8—the law banning abortions after six weeks and criminalizing anyone who aids or abets an abortion after that time.
The law went into effect earlier this month, despite hopes the Supreme Court would halt it due to its violation of the landmark Roe v. Wade case.
If the state revoking anyone's bodily autonomy wasn't alarming enough, the law makes no exception for victims of rape and incest. When Abbott was asked to defend Texas forcing people to carry pregnancies to term, Abbott demonstrated his ignorance of how pregnancy works and vowed to end rape in the state of Texas.
Watch below.
Reporter: Why force a rape or incest victim to carry a pregnancy to term?\n\nGov. Greg Abbott (R-TX): "It doesn't require that at all, because obviously it provides at least 6 weeks for a person to be able to get an abortion."pic.twitter.com/Mbx5JVHG1D— The Recount (@The Recount) 1631032215
When asked why the government should be able to force a rape or incest victim to carry a pregnancy to term, Abbott said:
"It doesn't require that at all, because obviously it provides at least six weeks for a person to be able to get an abortion. That said, however, let's make something very clear. Rape is a crime, and Texas will work tirelessly to make sure that we eliminate all rapists from the streets of Texas by aggressively going out and arresting them and prosecuting them and getting them off the streets."
Firebrand progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who raised millions of dollars for Texas earlier this year in the wake of devastating winter storms in the state, took to CNN to poke holes in Abbott's absurd claims.
Watch below.
"He speaks from such a place of deep ignorance, and it's not just ignorance. It's ignorance that's hurting people."\n\nDemocratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slams Texas's GOP Gov. Abbott for defending the state's abortion law by saying he's working to "eliminate all rapists."pic.twitter.com/lAGG731QGP— Anderson Cooper 360\u00b0 (@Anderson Cooper 360\u00b0) 1631061456
Ocasio-Cortez told anchor Anderson Cooper:
"I find Governor Abbott's comments disgusting. ... I do know that he's not familiar with a female or menstruating person's body, because if he did, he would know that you don't have six weeks. That 'six weeks'—and I'm sorry we have to break down Biology 101 on national television, but in case no one has informed him before in his life, six weeks pregnant means two weeks late for your period. And two weeks late on your period ... can happen if you're stressed, if your diet changes, or for really no reason at all, so you don't have six weeks."
She then addressed his comments on rape:
"The majority of people who are raped and who are sexually assaulted are assaulted by someone they know. These aren't just predators that are walking around the streets at night. They are people's uncles, they are teachers, they are family friends, and when something like that happens, it takes a very long time, first of all, for any victim to come forward."
The Congresswoman added that many victims prefer not to take their case to the carceral system even after reporting, potentially retraumatizing themselves.
She concluded:
"This idea that we're going to 'end rape' when the same type of, frankly, rape culture and the same type of misogynistic culture that informed this abortion law to begin with, those beliefs are held by the Governor himself and the Texas state legislature. ... It's awful, and he speaks from such a place of deep ignorance, and it's not just ignorance. It's ignorance that's hurting people across this country."
She summed up her opposition in a tweet sharing the segment.
Sad that in 2021 I have to explain to a GOP Governor that:\n\n1. \u201c6 weeks pregnant\u201d = 2 weeks late for your period\n2. Periods are late all the time from stress, diet,etc\n3. Most people know their rapists\n\nbut GOP want to have more control over your body than you do, so here we are.https://twitter.com/ac360/status/1435401902393544707\u00a0\u2026— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1631062664
People praised Ocasio-Cortez's words.
Absolutely bang on from @RepAOC \nhttps://twitter.com/ac360/status/1435401902393544707\u00a0\u2026— Nicola (@Nicola) 1631081875
Worth the watch. AOC always says things so eloquently but also in layman\u2019s terms at the same time. Perfection.https://twitter.com/aoc/status/1435406969058299906\u00a0\u2026— C. Emily B (@C. Emily B) 1631068050
THIS. Men making laws about woman\u2019s bodies had to stop. especially when they are ill informed of how a woman\u2019s body works. Rape will never be eliminated in this world. Don\u2019t be as naive to believe this is possible.https://twitter.com/aoc/status/1435406969058299906\u00a0\u2026— Valerie Villanueva (@Valerie Villanueva) 1631070128
Beautifully articulated response from AOC https://twitter.com/aoc/status/1435406969058299906\u00a0\u2026— MayrsOrgMgt, MAOM/BFA (@MayrsOrgMgt, MAOM/BFA) 1631063891
Some disagreed, however, that Abbott was ignorant about what he was saying.
Not ignorance. Abbott, like all anti-choicers, is simply a liar.https://twitter.com/ac360/status/1435401902393544707\u00a0\u2026— Amanda Marcotte (@Amanda Marcotte) 1631068420
I don\u2019t think Abbott speaks from ignorance. He is just another conniving politician with no loyalty to principles or governance. Like so many in the GOP he cares only about himself.https://twitter.com/ac360/status/1435401902393544707\u00a0\u2026— Howard Dean (@Howard Dean) 1631096708
Ocasio-Cortez was far from the only one to call Abbott out.
I love men who have never been pregnant telling women how long it takes to find out you\u2019re pregnant.\u00a0\u201cAnd then when you have baby, good luck getting healthcare or protecting the baby from guns.\u201dhttps://twitter.com/therecount/status/1435279255856979976\u00a0\u2026— Chelsea Handler (@Chelsea Handler) 1631105111
Here's is a textbook example of a bad faith answer by anti-choice lawmakershttps://twitter.com/therecount/status/1435279255856979976\u00a0\u2026— Jessica Mason Pieklo (@Jessica Mason Pieklo) 1631036644
This is shameful. First, 6 weeks is 6 weeks from the 1st day of the woman's last period, closer to 4 weeks & putting the onus on victims to focus on this to the exclusion of all else, in an environment of fear & shame isn't even a pretend effort at protecting their rights.https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1435279255856979976\u00a0\u2026— Joyce Alene (@Joyce Alene) 1631038837
The conservative Supreme Court's refusal to halt the law's enforcement has led to increased pressure on Congress to codify Roe v. Wade through legislation.