LEAKED VIDEO: Texas Republicans Attended Meeting with Group That Suggested Violence and Jail For Women who Have Abortions and Use IVF
AUSTIN, Texas – Leaked video shows Hood County Constable Scott London, Hood County GOP Chair Steve Biggers and Hood County GOP Chair candidate Greg Harrell attending a meeting held by Abolish Abortion Texas (AATX) where they supported the death penalty for women who seek abortions or use IVF, including pregnant minors. London and Harrel have also signed onto a pledge from the same group vowing to abolish all circumstances of abortion care in Texas.
The video was obtained by Hood County Democrats Chair Adrienne Quinn Martin and took place at a True Texas Project chapter’s meeting in Granbury, Texas. The event was hosted by Monica Brown–who is known for her attempts to ban books she deems inappropriate–and originally streamed from her Facebook page in January.
Paul Brown, who is the Director of Policy for Abolish Abortion Texas (AATX) said that IVF is a form of abortion and that when a fertilized egg is destroyed it should be considered murder, saying “Their lives [women] don’t matter any more than the babies’ they are killing.”
Brown also said how the group is against basic contraception pointing to the emergency contraception pill Plan B, saying that it “terminates or kills a baby prior to implantation – which is an abortion”
Brown went on to say that they will “never be okay with abortions in the instance of incest or rape” with several audience members suggesting that pregnant woman and doctors who perform abortions should be “held accountable” to the highest extent of the law.
The True Texas Project, which is a separate group that hosted the event, has hosted several events with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Senator Ted Cruz, was labeled as an extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and has deep ties to white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
Paul Brown also touted AATX’s support for several candidates this election season saying that they “have a whole bunch of candidates who are running today who have expressed their willingness to sign on to abolition [of abortion] as well. I am very excited about this upcoming session.”
Abolish Abortion Texas’ has endorsed candidates running for the Texas State House including:
House District 2 Brent Money
House District 6 Daniel Alders
House District 7 Jay Dean
House District 18 Janis Holt
House District 26 Matt Morgan
House District 41 John Guerra
House District 53 Wesley Virdell
House District 62 Shelley Luther
House District 65 Mitch Little
House District 82 Tom Craddick
House District 119 Brandon Grable
House District 147 Claudio Gutierrez
In response to this video, Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said “The fact that Texas Republicans are meeting with people willing to send pregnant women and doctors to Death Row should terrify every person in Texas. Make no mistake: Texas Republicans will strip women of their basic healthcare rights and will not stop at just banning abortion. They will punish women and doctors for seeking and performing basic health care, they will ban IVF and they will create a hostile and inhumane state. All of these candidates should be ashamed of themselves. This isn’t Texas, but this is the Republican party of Texas.”
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