Fact Check: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Misleading Remarks On The State’s Abortion Law

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Critics are pushing back against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for comments he made on Tuesday about the timeline for getting an abortion under new state law.





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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., slammed Abbott in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Tuesday, saying he lacks basic knowledge of biology.

«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, Ocasio-Cortez said. «And two weeks late on your period … can happen if you’re stressed, if your diet changes or for really no reason at all. So you don’t have six weeks.

"He speaks from such a place of deep ignorance, and it's not just ignorance. It's ignorance that's hurting people."

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slams Texas's GOP Gov. Abbott for defending the state's abortion law by saying he's working to "eliminate all rapists." pic.twitter.com/lAGG731QGP

— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) September 8, 2021

As The 19th News puts it, «Six weeks of pregnancy does not mean six weeks to get an abortion.

It explains further: «Gestational age begins at the end of a previous period, and the first sign of pregnancy is often missing one’s period. A typical menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, or about four weeks. A person cannot get pregnant until after they have ovulated, which generally happens halfway through the cycle.

So if someone has a regular menstrual period, they may know they are pregnant as soon as four weeks into their pregnancy, leaving them two weeks to arrange an abortion. People with irregular periods may not know until later, or should take a test — and many tests can’t detect pregnancy before a missed period. Plus, not all people are actively monitoring to see if they’re pregnant, The 19th adds, with almost half of all pregnancies unplanned.


Backlash over Abbott’s rape comments


Ocasio-Cortez also took issue with Abbott’s comments on rape, noting that the majority of people who are raped or sexually assaulted are assaulted by someone whom they know.

The anti-sexual violence nonprofit RAINN says 8 out of 10 rapes are committed by someone known to the victim.



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«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, Ocasio-Cortez added. «And second of all, when a victim comes forward, they don’t necessarily want to bring their case into the carceral system.

Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Texas, told MSNBC that Abbott’s talk of eliminating rape is «magical thinking, saying his actions and priorities say otherwise.

She pointed to the state’s backlog of untested rape kits. However, Abbott did sign legislation in 2019 to tackle that backlog, which one of the legislation’s Democratic sponsors said this year has reduced the backlog by 80%. State lawmakers passed several bills this year related to rape kit funding and reform.

The Texas Association Against Sexual Assault shared information on how sexual assault survivors can find a crisis center in their area, noting that extensive coverage of the new abortion law «has left many survivors feeling scared, vulnerable, and confused.

Dear sexual assault survivors in Texas:
The extensive media coverage surrounding the new abortion law has left many survivors feeling scared, vulnerable, and confused.

No matter where you are on the spectrum of disclosure and healing, your mental, emotional, and physical safety

— TAASA (@TAASA) September 7, 2021

Please know rape crisis centers across Texas are here to support you, today and always.

You can find a crisis center near you: https://t.co/iWZcBvNBLY

In solidarity,
TAASA#txlege #survivors

— TAASA (@TAASA) September 7, 2021

This story originally appeared on the Morning Edition live blog.