Ken Paxton issues threat after judge ruled this week that Cox, a pregnant woman with a lethal fetal diagnosis, can get an abortion

The Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, has threatened to prosecute any doctor who provides an abortion to Kate Cox, a woman with a non-viable pregnancy, advising hospitals to ignore a court order issued on Thursday allowing her to get the procedure.

The rightwing Paxton issued the warning to three Houston-area hospitals after a Texas judge ruled this week that Cox, a pregnant woman with a lethal fetal diagnosis, may obtain an abortion under the narrow medical exceptions offered by the state bans.

In a brazen dismissal of the court’s decision, Paxton wrote that the judge’s order “will not insulate hospitals, doctors or anyone else from civil and criminal liability”.

Paxton also wrote that the hospital where Cox obtains an abortion “may be liable for negligent credentialing the physician” who performs the procedure.

  • lazynooblet@lazysoci.al
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    11 months ago

    Reading this as a non-American, it feels surreal. How can such a basic right be stripped from all women, and then have men stand up and defend such a disgusting situation. Do they have no shame? No moral compass?

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Don’t forget the contempt for law and order - ignoring a court decision for personal beliefs as an AG

    • lolcatnip@reddthat.com
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      11 months ago

      Do they have no shame? No moral compass?

      They don’t. That’s what it means to be a Republican.

    • Urist@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      11 months ago

      I don’t like the other person’s response about republican shame/morality. I think it’s important to understand why these people do the things they do. Pretending they’re mustache-twirlingly evil doesn’t do anything but blind you to their rhetoric and remove your options for dealing with them. It’s hyperbole (in most cases) and makes fence-sitters less likely to believe you.

      No moral compass?

      Their moral compass is defined by christian nationalism. There are in-groups that must be supported and protected (republicans, white “upstanding” americans, whatever they presume that is), and out-groups that must be punished/jailed/worse (LGBTQ+, minorities, anyone left of Ron DeSantis).

      They do this because their christian nationalism beliefs inform them that women need to be controlled, and they’re using the medical system to do this. If this was Paxton’s wife, he would have gotten her an “abortion” without noise, but I struggle to even use that word to describe what this woman needs. Her child is already dead. I mourn for her.

      They cannot allow any legal exceptions for the common folk, so this woman must suffer. (Edit: And, this woman is highlighting that their system is unjust, so she is getting punished for it). They believe a woman’s place is only as a child rearer, homemaker, and low-skilled labor. It is deeply cruel, true, but they also think it’s justified. Ordinary Americans are appalled by these beliefs, and they need to be revealed for what they are.

        • Urist@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          11 months ago

          I’m sorry you’ve misinterpreted what I had to say as support for republican rhetoric. There is an internal logic to their actions (which I reject categorically, their logic is wrong and can be argued against). Ignoring why they do things and just saying “they’re evil lol” without explanation gets people to ignore you.

          • PRUSSIA_x86@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            Don’t bother with this guy. I tagged them as “🤡” a while back and it instantly made my browsing experience better.

            You’re spot on though. If we’re going to wrestle this beast, we need to understand it. The problem is complex, and the solution will be too.

          • DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe
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            11 months ago

            I didn’t misunderstand you.

            I addressed your premise that they think they’re acting morally.

            They don’t, that’s why they don’t mind getting their mistress an abortion, they don’t believe anything they say and have no morals.

            • Urist@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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              11 months ago

              I think we’re just having a semantic disagreement then. If you asked a republican why abortion is bad you’ll get an opinion informed by their version of morality.

              IMHO, They’re still fine with getting their mistress an abortion because either:

              1. abortion is bad for society on the whole, but my circumstances are different/I made a mistake and i deserve to be able to do this

              2. Some abortions are justified but the circumstances are so rare it’s better to make it illegal. We’re making an omelette, have to break some eggs (oh also, my abortion is one of these justified rarities)

              They might feel guilty about doing this, but they absolutely believe they’re doing the right thing after it’s all said and done. It’s very human to not be able to live up to your own ideals, even if your ideals aren’t ghoulishly cruel. Honestly I think that particular type of hypocrisy is worse than some scooby doo villain we can unmask.

              They’re not banning abortion for some sort of performance. At least not all of them. They absolutely believe they’re special and moral, so it’s ok if they get one. They’re responsible enough and Jesus will forgive them anyway.

              • DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe
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                11 months ago

                Well you won’t be the first person to refuse to understand that fascists only approach morality from the perspective of using it for personal benefit.

                The single greatest lie they will ever tell you, like any other conman, is that they believe what they say.

    • luminaree@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      All for a non-viable fetus. Not that it should matter, she should have the right to choose either way, but it makes this particularly insane.

    • RagingRobot@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      If I was that woman’s husband I would probably be in jail for trying to murder one of these idiots by this point this is infuriating

      • foyrkopp@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Good thing you’re not.

        The only thing you’d achieve would be causing her to have to deal with this BS while her husband is in jail.

    • Zink@programming.dev
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      11 months ago

      You are giving credit to the wrong people by framing it as all women losing a right and men defending that decision.

      Tens of millions of American men vote for candidates who protect women’s rights.

      Tens of millions of American women vote for candidates who seek to strip women’s rights.