ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slams Texas GOP governor's 'deep ignorance' on abortion

Share

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Tuesday slammed Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's "deep ignorance" on abortion after he earlier in the day.

"He speaks from such a place of deep ignorance ... and it's not just ignorance, it's ignorance that's hurting people across this country," the New York Democrat told CNN's Anderson Cooper on "AC360."

Her comments came in response to Abbott's pointed defence of the controversial Texas law that , which is one of the strictest in the nation and prohibits abortion before many people know they are pregnant. Under the Texas law, abortion is prohibited when a fetal heartbeat is detected, and there is no exception for rape or incest -- although there is an exemption for "medical emergencies."

Asked about the law's lack of exception for rape or incest earlier Tuesday, Abbott defended the six-week period wherein abortions are still permitted and vowed to work to "eliminate all rapists from the streets of Texas."

Ocasio-Cortez called the governor's comments a "disgusting" defence of a law centered on "controlling people who are not cisgender men."

"I'm sorry we have to break down Biology 101 on national television, but in case no one has informed him before in his life, six weeks pregnant means two weeks late for your period. And two weeks late on your period for any person -- any person with a menstrual cycle -- can happen if you're stressed, if your diet changes or for really no reason at all. So you don't have six weeks," she said.

Addressing the governor's goal to "eliminate rape," the argued that "these aren't just predators that are walking around the streets at night."

"They are people's uncles, they are teachers, they are family friends, and when something like that happens, it takes a very long time, first of all, for any victim to come forward. And second of all, when a victim comes forward, they don't necessarily want to bring their case into the carceral system. They don't want to re-traumatize themselves by going to court. They don't necessarily all want to report a family friend to a police precinct, let alone in the immediate aftermath of the trauma of a sexual assault," she told Cooper.

Since the law went into effect, supporters of abortion rights in Texas have , starting with an attempt to get women the medical attention they need or the financial resources to travel across state lines.

In addition, clinics are turning to state courts to block as many civil lawsuits as possible that they hope could ultimately land at the Texas Supreme Court. Finally, they've asked the Biden administration to think broadly about ways to use the muscle of the federal government to protect a woman's constitutional right to abortion.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.