An ad criticizing Texas Governor Greg Abbott has gone viral, emphasizing his harsh abortion laws, as his re-election campaign presses on.
The ad by Mothers Against Greg Abbott PAC—the “other ‘MAGA’”—depicts a doctor telling a pregnant woman and her partner that their child has “a catastrophic brain abnormality,” and will suffer horrifically, experiencing seizures and choking on her own fluids; she will only live a few hours, if she survives at all. The doctor says he will need a decision on termination, but can’t advise the couple: “I wish I could tell you what to do, but there’s only one person who can make this choice — and that person is Greg.”
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While the ad is humorous—the father responds, “Who the fuck is Greg?”— it highlights the strictness of the Texas abortion laws, and the difficult choices that families have to make.
“It’s really important for us to tell people that, when it comes to women’s reproductive rights and women’s health care, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, which is what the far-right is proposing,” Nancy Thompson, the founder of Mothers Against Greg Abbott, told the Houston Chronicle. “In order to have change for Texas women, and for us not to be second-class citizens, we all need to vote for change.”
Last year, Texas passed SB 8, a law that would allow private citizens to sue anyone who “aids or abets” performing abortions. This law goes even further than last month’s Supreme Court ruling, which overturned the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.
In response to Texas’s severe stance on abortions, Democratic pockets in the state are attempting to mitigate the aftermath. Last week, Austin council members passed the Guarding the Right to Abortion Care for Everyone (GRACE) Act. The GRACE Act aims to prevent discrimination against individuals’ reproductive health choices, prohibit using City funds for reporting reproductive health information to government agencies, and educate Austin citizens about birth control options.
But experts say that this law isn’t protective enough, as the Democratic city is still subject to state laws and cannot ultimately decriminalize abortion. San Antonio is also trying to formulate its counter to the state’s abortion laws.
Governor Abbott will face Beto O’Rourke in November in Texas’s gubernatorial election. Axios reported that although Abbott has more funding overall, O’Rourke has raised more campaign money than the incumbent since February, reflecting the ever-tightening race. In December, only 37% of voters said they supported O’Rourke, while this month, 43% said they supported him.
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