“Today we celebrate life and the protection of the unborn with the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade,” begins a letter sent out on behalf of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office. “In memory of the millions of lives lost since 1973, General Paxton is closing all Office of the Attorney General (OAG) offices today at noon. “Going forward, today will be an annual agency holiday to commemorate the sanctity of life.”
Paxton, who’s known for always being on the wrong side of history, kept his pristine record in check on Friday in the wake of SCOTUS issuing a decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that effectively overturned Roe. The Republican, who doesn’t give a fuck about actual lives and once said “God has a plan” for the slain victims of the Uvalde shooting, decided to create a holiday commemorating the day he and his ilk put even more lives at risk by destroying abortion rights.
The cheery letter, sent by First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster, urges employees to have a “safe and enjoyable ‘Sanctity of Life’ holiday” and offers anyone who is authorized to work after that noon deadline up to eight hours of comp time. Paxton issued a statement on his website celebrating the work stoppage he’s forcing on employees, many of whom are undoubtedly affected by the Dobbs decision. Texas is one of more than a dozen states with “trigger laws” that would outlaw abortion, which will become effective 30 days from now.
Paxton is well aware of what his office is sending out and, in addition to a full press release gloating about his alleged pro-life victory, even sent a celebratory tweet marking the news.
Paxton may have won his runoff against George P. Bush but just because he’s an incumbent doesn’t mean his seat as Attorney General is guaranteed. Candidates like the pro-choice lawyer Rochelle Garza, who won her Democratic runoff, have the chance to dethrone some of the most ghoulish Republicans and work on restoring our rights.
Sign and send the petition to Congress: Enact federal abortion protections.
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