Criminalizing abortion makes women 'more personally responsible,' Texas lawmaker said

>>Click to see other controversial abortion bills that have been proposed in the past. State Representative Tony Tinderholt filed a bill to criminalize abortion. >>Click to see other controversial abortion bills that have been proposed in the past. State Representative Tony Tinderholt filed a bill to criminalize abortion. Image 1 of / 19 Caption Close Criminalizing abortion makes women 'more personally responsible,' Texas lawmaker said 1 / 19 Back to Gallery

A Texas lawmaker from Arlington has filed a bill that would make it legal to charge women who receive abortions with a crime as serious as murder.

State Representative Tony Tinderholt's HB 948, proposed earlier this month, would remove an exception for abortion — at any stage — in the state penal code's definition of homicide.

"Right now, it's real easy. Right now, they don't make it important to be personally responsible because they know that they have a backup of 'oh, I can just go get an abortion.' Now, we both know that consenting adults don't always think smartly sometimes," Tinderholt told the Texas Observer. "But consenting adults need to also consider the repercussions of the sexual relationship that they're (going to) have, which is a child." (Story continues below.)

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Tinderholt considers the measure a mere amendment to current Texas laws.

"I'm not saying, I've never said, and the bill doesn't say that abortion will be abolished and illegal," he said, although that's what the language of the bill, entitled the Abolition of Abortion in Texas Act, implies. "We call it that bill, but the bottom line is this: we're just changing criminal penal code and statutes."

The law would also make it legal for abortion providers, even those who limit their practice to serving victims of incest and rape, to be charged with a crime. It would also extend to men who are involved with their partner's abortion, a Tinderhold spokesperson told the Daily News.

"The reality is that if the father is in any way involved in the conspiracy to end the life of a human being — communication with an abortion doctor, transportation, facilitation — he will be held accountable," Luke Macias said.

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"Since my first day in office, I've stated life begins at conception. Facts and science are on my side," Tinderholt said in a statement announcing his new bill, although no medical texts are cited. "I've defended innocent life my entire career and am honored to continue that fight with the filing of HB 948."

While the probability of this bill passing has yet to be determined, this proposal is among the Texas GOP's most aggressive recent attempts to combat abortion rights in this state.