Although the abortion ban in Texas makes no exception for rape or incest, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on Sunday that victims of such crimes can take emergency contraception, the so-called morning-after pill, and call the police.
Stressing that they want to support rape victims in his state, Abbott emphasized that victims can prevent a pregnancy from occurring in the first place by accessing health care immediately after the attack and taking Plan B, a pregnancy-preventing emergency contraceptive.
Plan B, whose key ingredient is a synthetic hormone called levonorgestrel, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999.
The morning-after pill works by stopping an egg from being released from the ovary, by preventing fertilization of the egg by sperm, or if there has been fertilization, by preventing a fertilized egg from embedding in the uterus.
Abbott also noted that victims should report the attack immediately to law enforcement which will ensure that the rapist will be arrested and prosecuted.
Under the Lone Star State law, abortion is prohibited when a fetal heartbeat is detected, before many women know they are pregnant, and is one of the strictest in the nation.
According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, which campaigns for improved access to abortion, no developed country where abortion is legal has set a gestation limit as early as six weeks.
Passed in 2021 in anticipation of the repeal of Roe v. Wade, Texas’ abortion trigger law, which went into effect last month, imposed new criminal penalties for abortion and offers an exemption only for certain health emergencies.
Abbott’s comments and his record on crime were criticized by the Democratic nominee for governor Beto O’Rourke’s campaign.
O’Rourke emphasized that while Abbott signed the most extreme abortion ban in the US – with no exception for rape or incest – the arrest rate for rape has fallen by nearly half since he took office and Texas leads the nation in rape offenses.
On top of that, Abbott has allowed a rape kit testing backlog which has left over 3,000 untested rape kits to collect dust in his state crime labs.
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