Texas GOP Governor Betrays Women, Signs Law Punishing Rape Survivors

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to news that Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill that will require women to pay an extra health insurance premium for an abortion, with no exception for rape or incest, EMILYs List Executive Director Emily Cain issued the following statement:

“Forcing a rape survivor to either pay more or carry a pregnancy to term is devastatingly cruel. Texas women will not forget this betrayal. EMILY's List plans to fight each and every day to replace the cowardly Republican legislators and governor who signed this travesty of a bill into law with strong, pro-choice Democratic women.”

EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $500 million to support pro-choice Democratic women candidates – making them one of the most successful political organizations ever. Our grassroots community of over five million members helps Democratic women wage competitive campaigns – and win. We recruit and train candidates, support strong campaigns, research the issues that impact women and families, and turn out women voters. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect 116 women to the House, 23 to the Senate, 12 governors, and over 800 to state and local office. Forty percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Since the 2016 election, thousands of women and counting have reached out to us about running for office. To harness this energy, EMILYs List has launched Run to Win, an unprecedented effort to get more women to run at the local, state, and national levels.