Texas Democrat says ‘deadly consequences’ will come from state’s abortion bill

Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) on Sunday said there will be “deadly consequences” from the abortion bill that went into effect in her home state last week that bans abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancies.

“There are also other real-life consequences that are happening right now, deadly consequences,” Escobar told guest host Weijia Jiang on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

“There are folks who want to believe that you can eliminate abortion, but what this law and other laws like it will do is simply make it deadlier, more dangerous. Women are going to take their health into their own hands. It will impact young women, poor women and women of color, and I’m really afraid of the lives that will be lost as a result,” she added.

The controversial Texas bill went into effect at midnight on Wednesday, banning abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can occur as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.

The legislation also allows private citizens to sue abortion providers if they believe they are infringing on the new policy.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to block the Texas law, referred to by some as the “fetal heartbeat bill,” leaving the country’s most restrictive abortion measure in place.

Escobar also said on CBS that no law can eliminate abortion but that restrictions put in place in Texas are taking away access to “safe, legal abortion.”

“I say there’s no law that you can create that will eliminate abortion. All that’s happening is you’re eliminating safe, legal abortion, causing women significant harm,” she said.