Women wore bright red 'Handmaid's Tale' robes to protest anti-abortion bills on Texas Senate floor

To the dismay of reasonable people everywhere, Texas Republicans remain undeterred by last year’s SCOTUS ruling against HB 2, which caused many abortion clinics across the state to close. During this legislative session, they’ve wasted absolutely no time in the crusade to chip away at the legal right to choose. This week, a whopping three extreme anti-abortion bills were brought to the state Senate’s floor. One of the bills, SB 25, would allow doctors lie to patients about their pregnancy if they merely suspect the truth might encourage the patient to seek an abortion.

Understandably, Texas women are fed. up. with this nonsense — and they’re not afraid to show it. This week, a group of women went to the Senate floor dressed in long red robes and white bonnets in homage to The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Mic explains:

In Atwood's imagined future, women have been stripped of all autonomy and reduced to "walking wombs" whose sole purpose is to produce children for the state. Those women who can't become pregnant are relegated to the status of "Unwomen," who spend their remaining days cleaning toxic waste.

Sure — it sounds far off. But with an administration bent on defunding clinics that provide abortions, and eventually overturning Roe v. Wade, many people have noticed stunning parallels.

The women were there to make a statement. And I think the Senate noticed.

2 DPS officers, Senate door guy & sergeant at arms have positioned themselves around a group of #handmaidstale activists in Senate #txlege pic.twitter.com/UC54ZlULQd

— Alexa Garcia-Ditta (@agarciaditta) March 20, 2017

Women dressed as handmaids are protesting anti-abortion bills at the Capitol. #FightBackTX #txlege pic.twitter.com/w5EQfBqNtG

— PPTV (@PPTXVotes) March 20, 2017

The Hulu rendition of Atwood’s story eerily hits close to home in these political times. Watch the video below and see for yourself: