Texas GOP Uses Virus Crisis To Further A Political Agenda

The paragraph above is the summary of an opinion from Republican Attorney General Paxton of Texas. He has declared that gun shops cannot be closed like other businesses in the state. Evidently it is considered "essential" that people continue to be allowed to purchase guns while most other businesses are required to close due to the Coronavirus epidemic.

But while gun shops are considered essential, abortion clinics are not. The governor of Texas has declared that abortion clinics are not essential businesses, and those seeking an abortion can wait until the crisis is over. That's just wrong. Abortions are time-sensitive, and if a woman is forced to wait too long, then she will be forced (by the state) to have a child.

Neither of these moves takes the health and well-being of Texas citizens to heart. Leaving gun stores open just means more guns throughout the state (without the necessary laws to keep those guns out of the hands of dangerous people). And forcing women to have babies they don't want or cannot afford does not contribute to their well-being (or that of the babies).

Texas Republicans are not acting to protect the public, but only to further their radical right-wing agenda.