During the Texas gubernatorial debate between incumbent Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, and Beto O’Rourke, a Democrat, Governor Abbott claimed that Plan B is an appropriate alternative to abortion access.
MODERATOR: “Is emergency contraception a viable alternative to abortion for victims of rape and incest? And you have 60 seconds, sir.”
ABBOTT: “So, to directly answer the topics that you raised on the availability of it, is incumbent upon the state of Texas, to make sure that it is readily available for those who are victims of sexual assault or survivors of sexual assault. The state of Texas pays for that whether it be at a hospital, at a clinic or for someone who gets a prescription because of it. And so not only is, it should be readily available, but the state of Texas is going to pay for it to make sure that it is available for them.”
MODERATOR: “But Governor, 30 seconds are, you know, I'll give you, I'll give you 30 seconds to answer this one. I still want to know, is Plan B, the alternative when it comes to somebody who is pregnant from rape or incest?”
ABBOTT: “Well, it depends on what you mean by alternative. An alternative obviously is to do what we can to assist and aid the victim and that is to help get them medical assistance that they need and the care that they need, but also to know what their options are. They're going to to know that the state throughout our alternatives to abortion program provides living assistance, baby supplies, all kinds of things that can help them. Also, we've increased funding for prenatal and postpartum care.”
MODERATOR: “Thank you Governor.”
