Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick redefined what a baby is so that illegal bounty hunters can go after abortion providers.
Video:
Dan Patrick: But few can argue, even on the left, that that’s not a baby… pic.twitter.com/3RjW5Ro4nO
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 3, 2021
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
Patrick said on Fox News, “Few can argue, even on the left, that that’s not a baby. A little Texan alive in the womb when that heartbeat is detected, and so Senate Bill 8has stopped the abortionists in their tracks because doctors are afraid of being sued because any citizen can bring a lawsuit against that doctor who performs an abortion. I’m proud that we passed it.”
Texas Isn’t Defining Personhood. They Are Defining Babies.
It is a chilling thought. Science has been going in circles with the personhood debate forever, but Texas has skipped the personhood debate and automatically deemed a heartbeat a baby, which is so bizarrely unscientific that it is frightening.
This is like Texas deciding that the moon is no longer a moon but a spaceship orbiting the earth. Texas Republican men have arbitrarily decided what a baby is.
The Texas law is wildly unconstitutional and already being copied by red states across the country.
The good news is that the federal legislature can easily short circuit this law by passing a simple bill granting immunity to anyone who provides an abortion or assists a woman in obtaining an abortion anywhere in the country.
In the meantime, Texas has delivered what Republicans have always dreamed of. A real-world Gilead where the state has defined what a baby is and now controls the bodies of women.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
