Women across the country are responding to a viral video posted Tuesday afternoon showing Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott clearly confused about how women's bodies work, after he falsely claimed his new abortion law doesn't require rape victims to carry a rapist's fetus to term.
"Governor," a reporter asked, "why force a rape or incest victim to carry a pregnancy to term?"
Abbott adamantly – and falsely – denied that's what his new law does, even though that's exactly what his new law does.
"It doesn't require that at all because, obviously, it provides at least six weeks for a person to be able to get an abortion," Abbott replied, falsely. "So for one it doesn't provide that. That said however, 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."
Abbott is running for re-election.
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
The video has been viewed nearly 700,000 times in just 3 hours.
Women immediately began posting information on how pregnancy, and their bodies, work.
FFS does this man know anyone who ever had a menstrual cycle?
— Tango Jane (@biglifejane) September 7, 2021
This is shameful. First, 6 weeks is 6 weeks from the 1st day of the woman's last period, closer to 4 weeks & putting the onus on victims to focus on this to the exclusion of all else, in an environment of fear & shame isn't even a pretend effort at protecting their rights. https://t.co/QzDKV2httT
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) September 7, 2021
Regardless, if you're fine with an abortion at 6 weeks, then there's no reason to have a problem with an abortion at 10 weeks or at 20 weeks or at 30 weeks. The only reason to set arbitrary cut-offs is to attempt to skirt court rulings saying abortion is a right.
— Cate Eland (@RomancingNope) September 7, 2021
Someone please educate about pregnancy...🤦♀️ Dear men... A woman can be physically pregnant for two weeks or less... And still have the foetus classed as '6 weeks'. The term goes from the date of the woman's last period... Not conception date.
— KateyMcCourt87 (@kateymccoo) September 7, 2021
Tell me you don't know how women's bodies work without coming out and saying it directly ...
— The_🅁🄱🄵 (@the_rbf) September 7, 2021
Does everyone understand that “6 weeks pregnant" is really only 4 weeks pregnant and only about 2 weeks after a pregnancy even becomes detectible on a home test? So no the Texas law does not provide “6 weeks" for a woman to terminate a pregnancy, it provides 2 weeks at best… https://t.co/dYbBOJFL1u
— Anne Champion (@AnneChampion1) September 7, 2021
Actually, they count from the first day of your last period. So it's, at *most* two weeks after you could have even missed your period. If you have a 35 day cycle & you're a week late, bam, six weeks Along with everything else you said, especially the last part!
— Just Jess (@jsin876) September 7, 2021
No you don't. You do not have 6 weeks from when you find out you're pregnant.
— Jemez Stargazer (@JemezStargazer) September 7, 2021
Of course he doesn't understand how a women's body works 😡
— Nikki - Vaccinated and Masked (@NikkiBrinksCO) September 7, 2021
Not "at least" 6 weeks. It's "at most" 6 weeks. Many don't even know they are pregnant at 6 weeks. There is no defending this. The government has no place in a person's womb.
— Petrichor (@Chasingharmony1) September 7, 2021
This is a lie. The person hasn't even had sex in the first 2 weeks of that 6 week window. They won't even have missed their period yet.
— Mariam Watt (@MariamWatt) September 7, 2021
People who don't have at least an 8th grade level understanding of science should not be able to make laws about it. Menstrual irregularities are extremely common. Few are going to realize they're pregnant at only 2 weeks late because so many of us don't menstruate every 4 wks.
— barely a spec 🏳️🌈 (@barely_a_spec) September 7, 2021
Here's is a textbook example of a bad faith answer by anti-choice lawmakers https://t.co/0Hm1OCv5Rr
— Jessica Mason Pieklo (@Hegemommy) September 7, 2021
Oh, Greg..... pic.twitter.com/ZASurtifRl
— Dorsey Mc- Get Vaccinated Enjoy Summer 🌞🌞💉💉😷 (@Baby50s) September 7, 2021