Texas Abortion Ban Caught In Such A Backlash, That ‘Snitch on Your Neighbors Aspect … [Is] Un-American’
New law only will set back the anti-abortion cause, according to prominent conservative
The new Texas abortion ban which took effect this week has become ensnared in such an intense backlash that even one of the nation's most prominent conservative commentators has joined the chorus speaking out against it.
The Texas law, which bans all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, is unique in that it encourages private citizens to sue abortion providers and anyone else who helps a woman obtain an abortion — including those who give a woman a ride to a clinic or provide financial assistance to obtain an abortion. Private citizens who bring suits don't need to show any connection to those they are suing.
Moreover, many women who seek abortions are already more than six weeks pregnant by the time that they become aware of the need.
“I'm going to talk about these things from Louisiana, but I have been and continue to be a strong supporter of Roe v. Wade, number one. And the most pernicious thing about the Texas law, it sort of creates a vigilante system where people get rewards to go out to [report their neighbors] anyway,” President Biden said Friday. “And it just seems — I know this sounds ridiculous — almost un-American, what we’re talking about. Not the debate about [abortion]. I respect people who don’t support Roe v. Wade. I respect their views. I respect those who believe life begins the moment of conception.”
That mechanism of the Texas law — based on one neighbor tattling on another — is what particularly drew the ire of Bill Kristol, one-time chief of staff to former vice president Dan Quayle and a noted conservative journalist for both The Weekly Standard and The Bulwark.
The Texas law will ultimately only hurt — and set back — the anti-abortion cause, Kristol said.
“Well, it’s so extreme. Six weeks, which is actually less than six weeks if you look at the details of the law … . And then this kind of ‘snitch on your neighbors’ aspect which seems pretty un-American. So I think it’s a foolish law from the pro-life point of view,” he said. “It’s not going to advance the cause. I don’t think it’s going to save a lot of unborn babies honestly in Texas and it’s going to cause a big backlash in Texas and elsewhere.”
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