LETTERS

Letters to the editor: Grasp the facts first, governor

Austin American-Statesman
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, shown here holding a border security briefing with sheriffs from border communities at the Texas State Capitol on July 10. [AMERICAN-STATESMAN/FILE]

Governor, grasp the facts before

making unfounded statements

I'm writing in response to Abbott's comments that he will "eliminate all rapists from the streets of Texas.

According to a 2015 report issued by his alma mater, the University of Texas, 70% of sexual assaults are perpetrated by someone known or related to the victim. Additionally, 22% of the victims are 13 and under, and 10% of sexual assaults result in pregnancy. Other data show that children with disabilities are more likely to be abused than non-disabled children.

While I applaud the governor's newfound interest in eliminating rape, I would urge him to understand the facts before he makes unfounded statements that affect the health of the women and little girls who are his constituents.

Mary Closmann Kahle, Austin

Behind Texas' new laws, pandering

to the right and unapologetic racism

While it's not hard to imagine that many Texans couldn't care less about the reaction of a 68-year-old mental health professional and retired social work educator from California to the recent anti-abortion and voting rights restriction laws, I have to believe that many in the state were as repulsed as I was by your governor's back-to-back grinning photo ops, surrounded by a phalanx of predominantly white state legislators.

With the "heartbeat law," Texas turns it back on many frightened, desperate, poor and often young women of color desperately wanting to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.

And Senate Bill 1 disenfranchises thousands of poor and minority voters, ostensibly to prevent phantom voter fraud.

What is very clear is the blatant pandering to the religious right with the anti-abortion legislation, and the unapologetic racism inherent in the voting bill.

Barry Goldman-Hall, San Jose, Calif.

Governor since 2015, Abbott is now

'getting around' to eliminating rape

I was interested to hear that Gov. Abbott intends to eliminate rape. Apparently, he has had the ability to do this since taking office in January of 2015, so I would be very interested in hearing his explanation of why he is just now getting around to that?  

I guess rape is not particularly concerning to Gov. Abbott, and it was more important to him to restrict the rights of the people to vote, women to choose and transgender kids to exist before eliminating the crime of rape. 

Now that I think about it, I guess that is not particularly surprising.  

Kevin Hicks, Lakeway

Bounty hunters enforcing the abortion

ban in Texas? That's not the big story.

I’ve been reading about this new law banning abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, which can come at six weeks — before a woman even knows she’s pregnant.

And, wow, enforcement is put into the hands of any Joe or Jane, with the opportunity to earn a $10,000 bounty. This has become the No. 1 topic on national news.

But the news folks are missing the big story here. What I want to know is, just when was it that the Taliban seized control of Texas?

Mark Kilpatrick, Austin