Like many others on the timeline, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow is stunned over how Republicans in Texas were able to pass the state’s recent abortion ban.
Maddow chatted with fellow MSNBC anchor Lawrence O’Donnell at the end of her show on Friday, and both hosts seemed shocked and outraged over new abortion restrictions and what they might mean for the country going forward. Earlier this week, Texas passed a bill banning abortions after six weeks when “cardiac activity” can be detected in a fetus. Of course, the law doesn’t seem to care that “cardiac activity” actually isn’t a heartbeat and doesn’t signal a viable pregnancy. The law also doesn’t seem to understand that many women don’t know they’re pregnant until a missed period signals that change. By the time they miss a menstruation cycle, they’re already four weeks pregnant, meaning this new bill allows just two weeks for a woman to seek abortion access.
And yes, this is one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, but what’s truly shocking is how the state has drafted the law to circumvent the possibility of legal arguments that it might be unconstitutional. Instead of naming the state as the defendant, this law deputized private citizens, allowing people to sue anyone seeking or providing abortion services and receive monetary damages in the process. It’s inhumane and sets a terrifying precedent, which is what Maddow is particularly troubled about.
The MSNBC host warned that what’s happening in Texas is just the beginning in terms of the GOP’s goal of stripping women of their rights.
“We’re going to see Red states all over the country ban abortion using this as the Xerox template,” Maddow predicted (via Raw Story). “It’s gonna go fast.”
While that statement is unnerving for any person who values the right to have the final say over their own healthcare decisions, Maddow also had a warning for Republicans who are, undoubtedly, celebrating this major milestone in their decades-long push to control women’s reproductive organs.
“The country doesn’t want abortion laws made more strict, let alone, banned,” Maddow said. “There’s a reason folks in the conservative media aren’t talking about this ruling right now. They’re the dog that caught the car. They like talking about trying to achieve this. Now that they have, they realize that actually, the country’s against this and the backlash is going to be considerable.”
(Via Raw Story)