Ken Paxton issues threat after judge ruled this week that Cox, a pregnant woman with a lethal fetal diagnosis, can get an abortion

The Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, has threatened to prosecute any doctor who provides an abortion to Kate Cox, a woman with a non-viable pregnancy, advising hospitals to ignore a court order issued on Thursday allowing her to get the procedure.

The rightwing Paxton issued the warning to three Houston-area hospitals after a Texas judge ruled this week that Cox, a pregnant woman with a lethal fetal diagnosis, may obtain an abortion under the narrow medical exceptions offered by the state bans.

In a brazen dismissal of the court’s decision, Paxton wrote that the judge’s order “will not insulate hospitals, doctors or anyone else from civil and criminal liability”.

Paxton also wrote that the hospital where Cox obtains an abortion “may be liable for negligent credentialing the physician” who performs the procedure.

  • magnetosphere@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    An attorney general is “advising hospitals to ignore a court order”.

    Read that sentence again.

    He is supposed to be an officer of the court. It is his job to uphold the law, regardless of how he feels about it personally. The judge ruled explicitly on this particular woman’s specific situation - there is no reasonable room for interpretation here.

    This man is putting his own opinion above the rule of law. He is radically unsuited for his job and deserves to be disbarred.

    • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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      1 year ago

      This guy is under an FBI investigation and felony fraud charges. He is ignoring the court because he holds a criminal mindset and has zero respect for the law.

        • eltrain123@lemmy.world
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          Not likely… he’s been under investigation for years. I was hoping his spat with the republicans that impeached him would accelerate his other legal issues, but they all concluded with a big nothing.

        • resin85@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          He was indicted 8 years ago. How he has managed to avoid a trial shows an astounding level of corruption in Texas. Fuck this guy and all the sycophants that protect and enable him.

          Source

  • iBaz@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    For the Republicans, it’s not about protecting babies, it’s about punishing women.

  • pottedmeat7910@lemmy.world
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    As a physician, I am completely lost as to why any OB-GYN (or other healthcare professional, for that matter) still feels comfortable practicing in the state of Texas.

    They literally criminalized healthcare and turned doctors into potential perps. I’d be terrified that a patient unplanned miscarriage would turn into a murder investigation with me as the primary suspect.

    • Dead_or_Alive@lemmy.world
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      I could totally see Texas go after a physician with SWAT and trash their house and kill their dog when bringing them in just to make an example for everyone else.

      Sad but I can’t imagine practicing in Texas and feeling safe.

    • FanciestPants@lemmy.world
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      Given the diagnosis and complications that have already occurred, this seems like it goes beyond contempt of court to me. I would consider this to be attempted murder of the mother.

  • legios@aussie.zone
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    WTF is this ramble at the end on about?

    “While the Biden administration continues to make up rules that are unconstitutional, I will keep holding them accountable,” Paxton said in a statement released earlier this year. “I will not allow the Biden administration to threaten doctors and hospitals with this unlawful mandate and put millions of Texans’ access to healthcare on the line.”

      • FabioTheNewOrder@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Ah yes, the Grand Old Projection party.

        The “party” p is lowercase because the name is not referring to a proper political party but rather to a group of people came together to have fun among themselves while making the lives of everyone else a living hell, just like frats do during off-seasons.

  • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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    Greatest country on earth ladies and gentlemen, land of the free my arse.

    Look at this idiot, he even looks like a republican.

  • Queen HawlSera@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    He doesn’t care about a baby that won’t even be born, he just wants her to die for being a woman who had sex with someone who wasn’t him.

    • Pratai@lemmy.ca
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      It’s not about her having sex with someone that wasn’t him- I guarantee he couldn’t care less about that.

      What he does care about is that he needs to control her every move and decision along with his voting base can’t think for themselves and need to be controlled by scum just like this piece of shit.

      They’re all cowards that won’t think for themselves.

  • PLAVAT🧿S@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    You guys remember Death Panels, the anti-Obamacare cry that legislatures want to get between you and your doctor to decide who can get care?

    Every Republican who jumped on that bandwagon needs to eat crow and realize they flipped like a bitch when it suited their anti-abortion argument.

      • PLAVAT🧿S@sh.itjust.works
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        Well careful now… Mike Johnson was ordained by God, almost a second Moses, and those rights to rule are not from government but the Almighty. And we all know Anger isn’t from God but from the devil.

        /s (if it wasn’t obvious)

        Keep banning books and privatizing schools folks, this is the indoctrination we’ll end up with.

  • lazynooblet@lazysoci.al
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    1 year ago

    Reading this as a non-American, it feels surreal. How can such a basic right be stripped from all women, and then have men stand up and defend such a disgusting situation. Do they have no shame? No moral compass?

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
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      Don’t forget the contempt for law and order - ignoring a court decision for personal beliefs as an AG

      • lolcatnip@reddthat.com
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        Americans probably don’t meet the legal requirements yet because there are still a lot of places in the US where you can escape this kind of fuckery. Things could easily change in a few years, though, if people on the left keep acting like spoiled brats and refuse to vote against Trump and company.

      • Chocrates@lemmy.world
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        I checked when Trump was elected and I don’t meet the requirements to get a visa unless I already have a job in Canada or I go back to school :(.

    • lolcatnip@reddthat.com
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      Do they have no shame? No moral compass?

      They don’t. That’s what it means to be a Republican.

    • luminaree@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      All for a non-viable fetus. Not that it should matter, she should have the right to choose either way, but it makes this particularly insane.

    • RagingRobot@lemmy.world
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      If I was that woman’s husband I would probably be in jail for trying to murder one of these idiots by this point this is infuriating

      • foyrkopp@lemmy.world
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        Good thing you’re not.

        The only thing you’d achieve would be causing her to have to deal with this BS while her husband is in jail.

    • Zink@programming.dev
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      You are giving credit to the wrong people by framing it as all women losing a right and men defending that decision.

      Tens of millions of American men vote for candidates who protect women’s rights.

      Tens of millions of American women vote for candidates who seek to strip women’s rights.

  • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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    Some of these republicans have never even heard of angry mobs pulling people who destroy their lives out of their homes and returning the favor. Just fucking with people with impunity.

        • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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          They’re going to push us until we break, and then act like we’re the animals when they’ve caged us. Vote in your local elections. Find these fuckers on the streets and call them out. Make them scared to take a shit at their local organic grocery chain.

          • Szymon@lemmy.ca
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            Unfortunately the result will be martial law and excuses to consolidate power. Making you mad enough to act out violently is part of the plan to take away pesky things like elections.

            • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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              Thats happening regardless. Your rights already have an expiration date. Whatever perceived loses you may incur, have already been lost. The only question worth asking is are we goong to kill fascism in the cradle or allow it a place in our society? Its that serious.

              • Szymon@lemmy.ca
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                I’m not disagreeing with you, but I’m pointing out that this is part of their plan and you need to think of an unexpected, outside the box solution to remove the threat.

                • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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                  I dont think this requires extraordinary thinking. I think it requires unity and resolve. The trick isn’t thinking of some as-of-yet untried third angle. The trick is to sew together a house divided and point their anger at the 4,000 or so oligarchs reigning in terror.

      • CeruleanRuin@lemmings.world
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        Emotionally I’m with you, but I don’t want that to be back on the table where anyone can decide to use it again. Because you know the type of people who would use it first.

    • jonne@infosec.pub
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      In Texas you’re more likely to see this happen to any doctor who steps up, unfortunately. With the tacit support if the state, of course.

    • Ultraviolet@lemmy.world
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      That’s what protests originally were for. The reason they’re called demonstrations is because you’re demonstrating the number of people that will be armed and angry if the people in power ignore you. Without that implied threat, they’re at most mildly inconvenient. It’s meant to be a final check and balance, if you fuck up badly enough, the people beat you to death and burn your house down.

      It should never have to come to that, but taking it off the table entirely renders the first step a bit pointless.

  • dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net
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    Man, it would really be “sad” if he tripped and fell into a pit full of filthy dull knives and venomous snakes. Just a real “tragedy.”