WHY TEXAS WILL BECOME A DEMOCRATIC STATE

The rabid anti-abortionists in the Republican dominated Texas legislature are laying the groundwork for a Democratic resurgence that may leave the GOP in the dust. And with kooks like State Representative Jodie Laubenberg, that may happen sooner than later.

JODIE LAUBENBERG, TEXAS GOP LAWMAKER, SUGGESTS RAPE KITS CAN GIVE ABORTIONS
By Nick Wing

The Huffington Post
June 25, 2013

Amid a heated debate over a restrictive anti-abortion bill being pushed by Texas GOP lawmakers, one Republican argued that a proposed exemption for rape victims was unnecessary because assaulted women could simply turn to rape kits for abortions.

"In the emergency room they have what’s called rape kits, where a woman can get cleaned out," said state Rep. Jodie Laubenberg (R), sponsor of the controversial SB 5, according to The Associated Press. "The woman had five months to make that decision, at this point we are looking at a baby that is very far along in its development."

As HuffPost blogger Soraya Chemaly notes, that's not the function of rape kits, typically administered to collect evidence of sexual assault. Not even close, PolitiFact Texas reports, giving Laubenberg's remark a "pants on fire" rating.

Laubenberg's claim came in response to a proposed amendment by Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D), which would have added exceptions for victims of rape and incest to the proposed 20-week abortion ban. Laubenberg's bill also would shutter 37 of the state's 42 abortion clinics with new regulations that would require such the facilities to adhere to the standards of surgical centers.

EDITOR’S NOTE: After she became the laughingstock of the nation, Laubenberg told a radio talk-show host that she was momentarily confused by Democrats’ questions and misspoke. “What I was trying to say is, when a woman goes to the hospital, that they have the procedures there to help her obtain emergency contraception and other treatment. No, rape kits do not cause an abortion.”