Texas GOP Proposes Potential Death Penalty for Women Who Get Abortions
NewsweekMAY 26 2024
Texas GOP Suggests Death Penalty for Abortion
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The Facts
The Texas GOP is considering a platform appearing to endorse the death penalty for abortion providers and patients through a law crystallizing the fetal personhood ideology.
Texas delegates at the state's Republican Party convention on Saturday proposed to define abortion as homicide, not healthcare, exempting only non-elective abortions.
Plank 35 of the platform called for Texas Republicans to pass legislation that would grant "equal protection of the laws to all preborn children from the moment of fertilization."
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Criminalizing women seeking a lifesaving medical procedure reflects a dangerous escalation in the anti-abortion movement. This is both hypocritical and cruel and ignores historical and religious principles of justice.
Republican narrative
The killing of unborn children must not be allowed, and — as decided by the overturning of Roe — it's up to the states to regulate abortions. More US states must follow Alabama's near-total abortion ban and impose severe penalties on doctors who perform the procedure.
Metaculus Prediction
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