GOP push extremist abortion bans despite unpopularity

The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell

Lawrence O'Donnell, MS NOW

Politics, Washington, Congress, News, Ms Now, President, Versant Media, Policy, Versant, Government, Senate

4.5 • 6.4K Ratings

🗓️ 9 December 2023

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Tonight on The Last Word: An Ohio ballot measure protecting abortions is now in effect. Also, a federal appeals court upholds a narrower version of the Trump gag order in Jack Smith’s 2020 election case. Plus, the U.S. economy adds nearly 200,000 jobs in November. Vladimir Putin says he will run for reelection next year. And the U.N. warns Gaza is “on the brink of full-blown collapse.” Dr. Lauren Beene, NH State Rep. Alexis Simpson, Harry Litman, Amb. Michael McFaul and Nicholas Kristof join Ali Velshi.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Republican Attorney General in the state of Texas is using the law to try to force a woman with a non-viable pregnancy to give birth despite a risk to her life.
0:09.0	And if that sounds hyperbolic, it's not. That's what's happening. Right now, tonight to Kate Cox, a 31-year-old
0:15.5	mother of two who was forced to beg a Texas court for an emergency abortion once she discovered that her fetus had a fatal genetic condition.
0:27.0	Her doctor warned her that her health and her ability to have more children would be at risk if she did not terminate the pregnancy.
0:34.4	The judge agreed that she met the medical requirements to obtain an abortion even in Texas,
0:40.4	even under the state's restrictive ban, calling it a miscarriage of justice to force her to continue with a non-viable and potentially harmful pregnancy.
0:49.0	But that was not enough for the Texas Republican Attorney General.
0:52.0	Ken Paxton, a man who... enough for the Texas Republican Attorney General.
0:52.8	Ken Paxton, a man who we can talk about at length another night,
0:56.8	is threatening in writing to prosecute any hospital that performs an abortion on this woman.
1:04.0	Today, Paxton asked the Texas Supreme Court to intervene.
1:08.0	Before we went through this, I never imagined
1:11.0	that we would be in this position. You know, I've said I never thought I would ever need or want an abortion. I always wanted a big family to think forcing me to continue the pregnancy and the pain and suffering put me through the risks of continuing the pregnancy, the risk of childbirth again, especially given how my last two went, I think it's cruel.
1:35.0	It is cruel.
1:36.0	It's dystopian.
1:38.0	This is Handmaid's tale stuff.
1:40.0	A woman already a mother, pregnant with a wanted child dealing with a terrible
1:43.4	and frightening prognosis has the Republican attorney general and Republican
1:48.0	activists in Texas overriding the advice of her doctor.
1:53.8	Texas's anti-abortion law is already being challenged in court by 20 Texas women who say
1:58.6	the state ban puts their lives in danger by denying them medically necessary abortions.
2:05.0	This is the post-Roe world created by Republicans.
	...

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