Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) slammed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) for remarks he made defending the state’s controversial abortion law, contending that the governor spoke from a place of “deep ignorance.”
Abbott argued on Thursday that the legislation — which bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected — allows for victims of rape to get an abortion. A fetal heartbeat can be detected as early as six weeks, often before a person even knows they’re pregnant.
The new law does not make exceptions for rape or incest that do not fall within the heartbeat parameters.
Abbott added that the number one goal in Texas is to eliminate rape altogether.
The comments sparked widespread criticism, with many pointing out that it is unlikely that women would know they are pregnant six weeks in.
When asked during an interview on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” what her reaction was to Abbott’s comment, Ocasio-Cortez said the governor’s comments were “disgusting.”
“He speaks from such a place of deep ignorance that — and it’s not just ignorance, it’s ignorance that is hurting people across this country,” she added.
She argued that rape culture and misogynistic culture “informed” the Texas abortion law.
“People like Gov. Abbott and [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell [R-Ky.] want to have more control over a woman’s body than that woman or that person has over themselves,” Ocasio-Cortez told Cooper.
“What that shares with rape culture is that sexual assault is about the abuse of power and sexual assault is about asserting control over another person, and the ease with which these men seek to do that to other people is atrocious. It is morally reprehensible and they don’t, they cannot even begin to understand the agonizing decisions that people have to make, including in cases of miscarriage, rape and incest,” she added.
Ocasio-Cortez revealed in February that she is a survivor of sexual assault when she recounted her experience during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
She doubled down on her criticism of the law on Wednesday, writing on Twitter that “rape culture informs anti-choice legislation.”
The Texas legislation, referred to by some as the “fetal heartbeat bill,” went into effect last week.
In addition to banning abortions as early as six week into pregnancy, the law also allows most private citizens to sue abortion providers if they believe they are in violation of the ban. Successful lawsuits can earn at least $10,000.