Gloria Allred scolded Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton for abruptly banning abortions amid the deadly coronavirus — calling the duo’s move ‘reprehensible,’ accusing them of using the pandemic to attack vulnerable women.
“It is reprehensible that the Governor and Attorney General of Texas have used the COVID-19 pandemic to attack some of the most vulnerable women in Texas who need access to a safe, legal and affordable abortion,” Allred told Your Content Monday night.
“Women who are young, poor, and live in rural areas, and women who may have already contracted COVID-19, may be in need of abortions.”
Gov. Abbott said during a news conference Sunday that abortions are not considered life-essential unless the life of the mother is threatened.
Attorney General Paxton one-upped the hard-nosed governor Monday, threatening legal action should one seek or provide an abortion during the governor’s order.
“No one is exempt from the governor’s executive order on medically unnecessary surgeries and procedures, including abortion providers,” Paxton’s office said in a statement. “Those who violate the governor’s order will be met with the full force of the law.”
The order will expire April 21, but before then any medical worker providing abortion care can be fined $1,000 or face jail time of up to 180 days.
“These elected officials are using the coronavirus pandemic to deny access to them,” Allred continued. “It appears that these politicians are acting in an opportunistic manner in order to win political points with their anti-choice constituencies who believe in mandatory motherhood and restricting a women’s reproductive choices about her own body.”
“I hope that Texas supporters of Planned Parenthood will support a legal challenge to the orders of these politicians and their transparently political efforts to interfere with a woman’s constitutional rights.”
So far, no litigation has been filed to keep clinics open and functioning, but the American Civil Liberties Union is observing the fallout in Maryland and Texas.
Connecticut-based controversial constitutional rights attorney Norm Pattis tells Your Content Texas should remain focused on saving lives, not taking them.
“At a time when many Americans fear death in a pandemic and we are having open discussions about rationing health care, Texas has every right to allocate scarce resources toward saving lives, rather then taking the lives of fetuses,” Pattis said.
“Of course, Gloria is free to travel to Texas and litigate her beliefs. I suspect she’d be more comfortable elsewhere, however. I gather she’s done gloating over Harvey Weinstein’s conviction.”
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