Jen Psaki dryly zings the Texas governor over his absurd promise to completely end rape
The far-right Republican Governor of Texas Greg Abbott has come under harsh and well-deserved criticism recently over his decision to sign into state law a draconian anti-abortion law. The legislation not only makes it illegal to terminate a pregnancy after six weeks, it empowers and encourages random citizens to bring outrageous lawsuits against anyone even tangentially involved in securing an abortion — from the woman herself to the friend who drives her to the clinic to the healthcare professional who advises her on her options.
The law represents a blatant violation of Roe V. Wade and would have likely been blocked from implementation were it not for the 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court. The bill makes no exceptions for abortions even in the case of rape or incest, a horrifying detail that Abbott was recently confronted over.
When asked why the state would want to force a rape or incest victim to carry a pregnancy to term, Abbott insisted that the law does no such thing because women can still get abortions prior to six weeks. What he conveniently failed to acknowledge was that many women don’t even know they’re pregnant at six weeks. He went on to make a mockery of these valid concerns by preposterously suggesting that Texas is going to eliminate rape entirely, something which no society in history has ever managed to accomplish.
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“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,” said the governor.
These are not the words of a man who takes this issue seriously.
Reporter: Why force a rape or incest victim to carry a pregnancy to term?
Gov. 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 (@therecount) September 7, 2021
Today, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about Abbott’s absurd promise to remove every rapist from the streets of Texas. The Biden administration has been outspoken in its opposition to the Texas law and unsurprisingly Psaki was less than impressed by Abbott’s remarks.
“Well if Governor Abbott has a means of eliminating all rapists or all rape from the United States then there’d be bipartisan support for that,” said Psaki. “But given there has never in the history of of the country, in the world, been any leader who’s ever been able to eliminate rape, eliminate rapists from our streets, it’s even more imperative—it’s one of the many reasons I should say not the only reason—why women in Texas should have access to healthcare.”
“So it does not change our objectives, does not change our commitment,” she continued. “The Department of Justice, the Attorney General, announced a step on Monday. Our Department of Justice is continuing to look at legal options. Our Department of Health and Human Services is also continuing to look at all options and the president has made clear that it’s a priority to do everything that we can to ensure that women in Texas have access to healthcare.”
Watch below.
Psaki: If Governor Abbott has a means of eliminating all rapists or all rape from the US then there would be bipartisan support for that pic.twitter.com/icKPRokv2K
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 8, 2021
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