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Republican state Sen. Robert Nichols of Jacksonville mentioned Friday that he’d assist a change to Texas’ abortion legal guidelines to permit victims of rape to legally get hold of the process.
“If I get an opportunity to vote for an exception to rape, I’ll vote sure,” the East Texas senator mentioned throughout a panel of Republican lawmakers on the 2022 Texas Tribune Pageant. “I feel as a substitute of us telling girls what to do, we must always present our assist for girls of this state.”
Nichols is likely one of the first anti-abortion lawmakers to say he would assist loosening the abortion legal guidelines when lawmakers meet in January.
Texas has one of many nation’s most restrictive abortion legal guidelines, which went into impact after the U.S. Supreme Courtroom overturned Roe v. Wade — the landmark case that established the authorized proper to an abortion. Underneath Texas legislation, abortions are prohibited in nearly all instances, together with rape and incest, and are allowed solely to avoid wasting the lifetime of the pregnant particular person.
Texas is competing in opposition to personal corporations who’re prepared to bus their workers out of state for “being pregnant care,” mentioned Nichols. “And what are we doing?”
At least, Nichols mentioned, the state ought to present a minimal of 4 weeks of paid maternity depart for state workers.
Nichols self-identifies as “pro-life” and has voted in favor of the state’s abortion legal guidelines, together with the “fetal heartbeat” legislation that went into impact final September. The legislation prohibited most abortions after an ultrasound might detect cardiac exercise in a embryo, about six weeks right into a being pregnant. Nichols’ workplace didn’t instantly reply to questions on whether or not the senator would assist every other exceptions to the abortion legislation, resembling for incest.
Public polling reveals that Texans overwhelmingly assist exceptions for each rape and incest, with solely 13% and 11%, respectively, saying pregnant individuals shouldn’t be in a position to get hold of abortions in these instances.
Texas Home Speaker Dade Phelan additionally signaled an openness on the Pageant on Friday to reexamining exceptions to Texas’ abortion legislation. Additionally from East Texas, Phelan mentioned he was unlikely to personally assist such exceptions however that some members of his caucus have mentioned they might need to revisit the matter.
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has mentioned in earlier interviews that the abortion difficulty appeared settled.
The Texas Tribune Pageant is right here! Occurring Sept. 22-24 in downtown Austin, this 12 months’s TribFest options greater than 25 digital conversations with visitors like Eric Adams, Pete Souza, Jason Kander and lots of others. After they air for ticket holders, anybody can watch these occasions on the Tribune’s Pageant information web page. Make amends for the newest information and free classes from TribFest.