I previously wrote about a Texas judge’s temporary restraining order allowing a woman with a lethally abnormal fetus to get an abortion at 20 weeks into her pregnancy. According to her doctors, the woman’s health is endangered as well as her future ability to bear more children. The judge also ruled that a doctor should be allowed to perform that abortion without facing penalties.
Attorney General Ken Paxton is throwing a temper tantrum. Yes, that’s the same AG Paxton who is charged with securities fraud, is under FBI investigation for corruption and who faces a bar disciplinary for trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He was also impeached by Texas’ Republican House of Representatives, though acquitted by the Senate.
Apparently, Paxton thinks laws are whatever he wants them to be. As Chris Hayes explained, Paxton is threatening to prosecute any doctor or hospital that provides that emergency abortion. He sent a letter to three Texas hospitals threatening their licenses, criminal prosecution, and civil penalties if they comply with the judge’s order.
On his Thursday show, Hayes spoke with Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett. Crockett got right to the heart of the matter: Paxton "is supposed to be an advocate on behalf of the state. They advocated, they lost. So the idea that you’re going to ignore this, and we have a resident in Texas that now may literally lose her life - if not losing her life, may lose her ability to bring life into this world, and the sad part is, we’ve already heard from other Texas women that have lost this ability.”
Hayes pointed out that Republicans often try to cast themselves as being moderate on abortion but “this is the reality.”
“This is exactly why it's important that we show up all the time and we vote for people that just have common sense,” Crockett added. She noted that the majority of the Texas legislators have no medical qualifications. “The fact that they are telling medical doctors what they can and cannot do when they don’t have the experience, they haven’t done the research, and they completely ignore science is mind boggling to me.”
Hear, hear.
