Texas GOP Rep. Bryan Slaton filed a bill that would ban and criminalize abortions, making women and providers vulnerable to criminal charges that could carry the death penalty, the Texas Tribune reports.
The bill makes no exceptions for rape and incest, but does exempt ectopic pregnancies that threaten the life of the mother “when a reasonable alternative to save the lives of both the mother and the unborn child is unavailable.”
“It is time for Texas to protect the natural right to life for the tiniest and most innocent Texans, and this bill does just that,” Slaton said. “It’s time Republicans make it clear that we actually think abortion is murder. … Unborn children are dying at a faster rate in Texas than COVID patients, but Texas isn’t taking the abortion crisis seriously.”
Under Slaton’s bill, women who get an abortion and physicians who perform the procedure could be charged with assault or homicide, which is punishable by the death penalty in Texas. The bill also bans abortions starting at fertilization. Currently, most abortions in the state are prohibited after 20 weeks.
According to Slaton, not a “single person” would go to jail if his bill becomes law.
“All my bill does, is say that an unborn child is the same as a born child and should be treated the same by the laws,” he said.
[Update: We’ve toned down the headline of this article]
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