Texas: Greg Abbott OKs Plan B Pill for Rape Victims Amid State Law Ban on Abortion
Amid his controversial stance on abortion in his home state, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has approved the use of the emergency morning-after Plan B pill for rape victims. The move comes after the Texas ban on abortion rights took effect last month following the overturning of Roe v Wade last June in the Supreme Court.
Beto O' Rourke, the Democratic challenger to Abbott's seat for the gubernatorial race, lead an army of netizens in blasting the incumbent governor on his recent pronouncements.
Greg Abbott Plan B Pill Announcement
In Texas, the use of the "Plan B" or the morning-after pill is now approved, based on Texas Governor Greg Abbott's announcement. The Dallas Morning News reported the announcement, which aired on an episode of "Lone Star Politics" today.
"By accessing health care immediately, they can get the Plan B pill that can prevent a pregnancy from occurring in the first place. With regard to reporting it to law enforcement, that will ensure that the rapist will be arrested and prosecuted," he said in a statement.
Abbott reiterated his support for rape victims and their access to health care, which prompted the approval of the use of the Plan B pill in preventing pregnancy in the first place.
Meanwhile, Democratic Texas Governor nominee Beto O'Rourke slammed Abbott on his announcement.
Critics Blasted Greg Abbott's 'Plan B' Pill Usage
Beto O'Rourke, who is currently in recovery from a bacterial infection, has been the first one to criticize Texas Governor Greg Abbott on his recent remarks.
"We are going to end Greg Abbott's career on November 8 and the women of Texas are going to lead the way," O'Rourke said in a tweet.
O'Rourke is gunning to replace Abbott in the governor seat in the State of Texas. As the primary democratic flagbearer, O'Rourke's campaign highlights the highly-contentious abortion ban that the current governor signed into law.
We all need to understand what the true cost of this decision is, this decision that Greg Abbott made a year ago to sign the most restrictive abortion law in the country, no exception for rape, no exception for incest," O'Rourke said in the televised national ad he launched against Greg Abbott.
According to Newsweek, several other critics have slammed Abbott on the same grounds of letting victims take the morning-after pill rather than having access to abortion.
Wow. Greg Abbott says rape victims can access Plan B instead of getting abortions.
— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) September 3, 2022
Meanwhile…Texas leads the nation in the number of rape incidents—and the arrest rate has fallen by half since he took office. https://t.co/Fu1XuFctut
As of this writing, neither Greg Abbott nor his office has given any official comment on the news.
Despite the new offering, some experts are still hesitant to discuss the "Plan B" option with their patients because they fear it may violate the recently-enacted law.
The trigger ban on abortion in Texas makes the healthcare act a felony to perform in the state, as it is prohibited already when a fetal heartbeat is detected in the child. The law also has no exceptions if the pregnancy were to come from incest or rape.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Ivan Korrs
WATCH: Greg Abbott said rape victims can take Plan B - From KHOU 11
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