Republican Governor Greg Abbott faces backlash after arguing that the new Texas Abortion Law provides enough time for patients to make a decision. His statement was proven false by activists and experts around the state.
After a reporter asked Abbott why are victims of rape and incest legally obliged to carry a pregnancy, Abbott claimed that the interpretation is untrue. In his words, all women have up to six weeks to decide if they want to give birth.
However, the Law clearly states that women must have an ultrasound as a proof before getting an abortion. In order for an ultrasound to be a reliable proof that the pregnancy is located in the uterus, there needs to be fetal cardiac activity.
Fetal cardiac activity almost never happens prior to the fifth or the sixth week. In addition to this, the Law clearly states that no abortions can be performed after detection of cardiac activity. This means that there is almost no way for Texas women to get a legal abortion.
Gynecologists and human rights activists claim that the Governor doesn’t know enough about either the Law or reproduction to interpret the Law in any way. The new Abortion Law is being enforced since September 1, but it seems that the general public will not accept it anytime soon and will keep finding ways to alternative solutions.
