Anatomy of the Research
I was wondering how they came to the number of rape-related pregnancies in Texas after the abortion ban. See the featured photo. The Chron has the story on the research. Here is how the article starts:
Law enforcement databases are notoriously unreliable when it comes to capturing the true number of sexual assaults in the U.S.
That’s why researchers relied primarily on public health estimates for a new study that roughly calculated the number of rapes and rape-related pregnancies in Texas and 13 other states that banned virtually all abortions after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The study found that Texas, which does not have an exception for rape in its abortion laws, had an estimated 26,313 rape-related pregnancies during the 16 months after its ban was in effect.
The numbers are imperfect. They offer a best-guess snapshot of the situation in Texas and other states based on a variety of different sources. But they help put the potential magnitude of abortion bans into perspective, the researchers said.
Here’s what to know about the study and researchers’ methods:
Who conducted the study? And why?
The study was carried out by Drs. Samuel Dickman, Kari White and David Himmelstein, with the goal of capturing the scope of abortion laws in the 14 states with and without exceptions for rape. The research was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Medical Association. That means the data was reviewed by several other experts in the field before publication.
Here is the entire article: How researchers estimated rape-related pregnancies in Texas post-Roe (houstonchronicle.com).
I am convinced.
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This is clearly a case where crooked arse GOP AG Ken Paxton made State Sen. Drew Springer look stupid and now, Springer is grasping at straws.
See this from the Trib:
A Republican state senator who voted to acquit Ken Paxton in his impeachment trial last year wants the Senate to consider restarting proceedings now that the attorney general is no longer fighting the whistleblower claims in court that were central to the trial.
The bombshell request came in a letter Thursday from retiring state Sen. Drew Springer to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and his Senate colleagues.
“At this stage, and the point of this letter, I am asking the Senate whether there is a legal mechanism to reopen the impeachment proceedings,” Springer wrote. “Failure to at least consider this possibility runs the risk of AG Paxton making a mockery of the Texas Senate.”
Springer’s letter came days after Paxton announced he would not contest the facts of the whistleblower lawsuit in an attempt to end it without having to testify under oath. The lawsuit was filed in 2020 by a group of former top deputies who said they were improperly fired for telling federal authorities they believed Paxton was abusing his office to help a wealthy friend and donor, Nate Paul.
Here is the entire Trib read: Republican who acquitted Paxton urges Senate take second look | The Texas Tribune.
Two of Springer’s GOP colleagues voted to convict. So did his 12 Democratic colleagues. Springer just didn’t have the guts to do the right thing. Now that he is retiring and Paxton threw him in the grease, he is trying to see if there is a way his name won’t have a stain on it in future Texas history books. Dumbarse and gutless punkarse for sure.
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Donald Trump is now calling former U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley Birdbrain. Which is a-okay with GOP elected officials these days. I am betting that once Haley does concede, she will come around and endorse Trump despite begin called Birdbrain. Lying Ted Cruz did, because that’s how MAGA world works. They all allow Trump to own their arses.
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The Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus will have the endorsement meeting for the primary election tomorrow. I plan to attend.
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I said this on Monday about this Sunday’s NFC and AFC title matchups:
It is now down to four teams. I have to root for the Detroit Lions because they have never been to a Super Bowl. I will be rooting for the Chiefs for obvious reasons.
I am sticking by my words.
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Yes. Eight days. My green bin is still out there. I have been putting in stuff daily. It is just about full.
