A Texas state lawmaker has proposed a bill that would make abortion a homicide, meaning that anyone who has or performs an abortion in the Lone Star State would be guilty of murder and subject to the death penalty.
The Texas Tribune reports that State. Rep. Bryan Slaton (R) — who is also a minister, introduced the bill that also features no exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother.
Slaton defended his draconian legislation by claiming that he merely wants to protect “innocent” Texans:
“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. 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.”
If Slaton’s bill becomes law — which is highly unlikely — abortions would be banned from the moment of fertilization instead of at 20 weeks, which is the current limit in Texas.
Other Republican lawmakers in Texas have attempted to pass restrictive legislation such as Slaton’s, but have failed, either in committee or never receiving a hearing.
This isn’t the first time Slaton has tried to grandstand on the issue of a woman’s right to choose:
“Slaton, a freshman Republican from Royse City, previously tried to stop the House from naming bridges or streets without first voting to abolish abortion. The amendment failed, but was supported by more than 40 lawmakers, about half of the Republicans in the House.”
According to Slaton, his bill isn’t meant to punish anyone and he doesn’t believe it would “put a single person in jail. 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.”
Featured Image Via Screenshot
