"Biology 101": AOC slams Texas Governor Greg Abbott's "deep ignorance" over abortion claims
New York, New York – On Tuesday night, New York. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had to do something she probably never thought she'd have to do: explain to a Republican governor the basics of how women's bodies work on national television.
Speaking with CNN's Anderson Cooper on Tuesday night, AOC broke down basic facts about the menstrual cycle and rape for the benefit of Republicans trying to restrict reproductive rights.
She was responding to a clip Cooper played of Texas Governor Greg Abbott's remarks after he enacted the state's six-week abortion ban.
At a press conference, the Republican governor was asked, "Why force a rape or incest victim to carry a pregnancy to term?"
He first defended the abortion law by saying it is not a total ban, as it gives women six weeks in which to get a procedure.
He then continued to say, "Texas will work tirelessly to make sure that we eliminate all rapists from the streets of Texas by aggressively going out and arresting them and prosecuting them and getting them off the streets."
AOC replied that the governor's "disgusting" remarks stem from a place of "deep ignorance" and said she regretted having to go into "Biology 101" during the interview.
Nevertheless, she took the time to shoot down each of the governor's arguments, starting with the idea that six weeks is plenty of time to get an abortion.
The congresswoman pointed out that being six-weeks pregnant means a menstruating person is only two weeks late for their period. Irregularities in the cycle are completely normal and can be due to a variety of causes, including stress, dietary changes, and "for really no reason at all," as AOC put it.
"So, you don't have six weeks. That's first things first," she concluded.
AOC slams Abbott for taking part in "rape culture"
Then AOC moved on to the suggestion that Texas could somehow "eliminate all rapists" by "getting them off the streets."
"The majority of people who are raped and are sexually assaulted are assaulted by someone that they know, and these aren't just predators that are walking around the streets at night," she explained.
"They are people's uncles. They are teachers. They are family friends. And when something like that happens, it takes a very long time, first of all, for any victim to come forward."
"Second of all, when a victim comes forward, they don't necessarily want to bring their case into the carceral system."
AOC then accused Abbott and some members of the Texas legislature of participating in "rape culture," saying their primary concern in passing the abortion law is "controlling women's bodies and controlling people who are not cisgender men."
"If they were about being pro-life, then the Republican Party would support, frankly, an agenda that helps guarantee healthcare, that helps ensure that people who do give birth who don't have the resources to care for a child can have that care for a child."
She then drew a connection between Abbott's attempts to control women's bodies and sexual assault, which she said is also "about asserting control over another person."
"The ease with which these men seek to do that to other people is atrocious. It is morally reprehensible," she finished.
Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire