Jen Psaki has responded to Texas Governor Greg Abbott's recent comments about "eliminating" rape in the southern state.

This comes after Texas introduced a new law - known as Senate Bill 8 - that bans abortion providers from carrying out terminations after the fetus' heartbeat had been detected.

Per CNN, this is usually around the six-week mark - a time when many women are unaware that they are pregnant.

On Tuesday, Abbott was asked by a reporter: "Why force a rape or incest victim to carry a pregnancy to term?"

Abbott responded by saying: "It doesn't require that at all, because, obviously, it provides at least six weeks for a person to be able to get an abortion."

The Governor then spoke about his goals to "eliminate" rape, telling reporters: "That said, however, let's make something very clear; rape is a crime. And Texas will work tirelessly to make sure that we eliminate all rapists from the streets of Texas by aggressively going out and arresting them and prosecuting them and getting them off the streets.

"So goal number one in the state of Texas is to eliminate rape so that no woman, no person, will be a victim of rape."

On Wednesday, September 8, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked for the White House's response to Abbott's comments, to which she said: "If Governor Abbott has a means of eliminating all rapists or all rape from the United States then there’d be bipartisan support for that."

However, the 42-year-old went on to add:

"But given there has never in the history of the country - in the world - been any leader who's even been able to eliminate rape, eliminate rapists from our streets, it's even more imperative - it's one of the many reasons I should say, not the only reason - why women in Texas have access to healthcare."

Psaki added: "The President has made clear that it is a priority to do everything we can to ensure women in Texas have access to healthcare."

When asked what she would say to women in Texas who are currently in need of an abortion, Psaki said that their rights have been "violated", adding: "And we are going to do everything we can to provide assistance as quickly as we can."

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the representative for New York's 14th congressional district, has also responded to Abbott's comments, describing them as "disgusting" and "deeply ignorant".

After giving Abbott a lesson in "biology 101", the 31-year-old said: "The majority of people who are raped and who are sexually assaulted are assaulted by someone that they know," she said.

"These aren’t just predators that are walking around the streets at night. They are people's uncles. They are teachers. They are family friends."

AOC highlighted how some victims don't want to bring their cases "into the carceral system" and that some people "don't want to retraumatize themselves by going to court".

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A Florida lawmaker has introduced an anti-abortion bill that's extremely similar to the controversial law on abortion in Texas that bans abortions after six weeks and deputizes citizens to target anyone who assists in one.

Republican State Rep. Webster Barnaby filed the bill Wednesday, September 22, presenting the potential law that would fine "at least $10,000 for each abortion that the defendant performed or induced in violation of this chapter, and for each abortion performed or induced in violation of this chapter which the defendant aided or abetted."

The law would go into effect July 2022, per AP.

The "Florida Heartbeat Act" changes the state's abortion laws from using the word "fetus," instead replacing it with "unborn child," and it effectively bans abortions after a heartbeat is detected, with few exceptions.

Unlike the Texas law, this bill allows exceptions for rape, incest, and life-threatening cases with the appropriate documentation to confirm.

A spokesperson for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told the Associated Press in a statement: "Governor DeSantis is pro-life.

"The Governor's office is aware that the bill was filed today and like all legislation, we will be monitoring it as it moves through the legislative process in the coming months."

Democrat State Rep. Anna Eskamani, an outspoken advocate for abortion rights, said in a statement in response: "This gross excuse of a bill attacks women and birthing people who are seeking an abortion before they even know they are pregnant.

"It also attempts to mimic Texas by creating a process for civil action towards those that help someone in Florida end a pregnancy after 6 weeks. Extreme attacks on reproductive health are not about policy, it is about control, shame, and will negatively impact communities who already experience barriers to accessing care."

Eskamani added: "We must stop these extreme anti-abortion bills and I know the people of Florida overwhelmingly agree."

In Texas, the controversial new legislation, Senate Bill 8, bans abortions after six weeks in Texas and took effect last week after the Supreme Court's inaction.

The Supreme Court and a federal appeals court did not act upon objections from emergency requests brought forth by abortion providers.

This means that as of September 1, abortion after six weeks is illegal in the state - which is before many people even know they are pregnant, CNN reports.

Private lawsuits can therefore be brought against any pregnant person seeking to have an abortion after six weeks.

This amounts to a near-total ban on abortions and has no provision for victims of rape or incest.

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Bette Midler has suggested that women refuse to have sex with men in the wake on Texas' controversial new abortion law.

Last week, Texas passed a law that banned abortion providers from carrying out terminations after the fetus' heartbeat had been detected - this is usually around the six-week mark. The law cites no exception for pregnancies that are the result of rape or incest, CNN reports.

Additionally, the law can be "policed" by citizens, who can sue abortion providers for $10,000 in successful cases.

The only exception to the law - also known as Senate Bill 8 - is if a "physician believes that a medical emergency exists".

The new law has faced backlash for several reasons, one of which being that many women are unaware that they are pregnant at the six-week mark.

Now, American singer and actress Bette Midler has taken to social media to slam the new law. In one tweet, the 75-year-old writes:

"I suggest that all women refuse to have sex with men until they are guaranteed the right to choose by Congress."

In another tweet, Midler writes: "Why do #antivaxxers and #antimaskers get to live the "my body, my choice" life, but pregnant women are not allowed to? How is this fair?"

She adds: "The cruelty of the #GOP is endless. We are suffering COVID-19, hurricanes, apocalyptic flooding, wildfires from hell, joblessness, homelessness, evictions, racial strife, and they pick this hideous time to pile on yet another shock to women, by taking away their right to choose."

Continuing to speak out against the law on Friday, Midler wrote: "This isn’t about guns, speech, money or war. It’s about women, their lives, their bodies and their autonomy."

President Biden has also spoken out against the new law, calling the Supreme Court's failure to not block the law an "unprecedented assault" on women's rights, per BBC News.

"The highest court of our land will allow millions in Texas in need of critical reproductive care to suffer while courts sift through procedural complexities," Biden added.

The POTUS has now launched a "whole-of-government" response to combat the new law, which Biden says "unleashes unconstitutional chaos and empowers self-anointed enforcers to have devastating impacts."

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A Texas high school valedictorian scrapped her original speech to speak out against the state's abortion ban.

Paxton Smith had her speech about the influence of TV and media on her world views preapproved, but she swapped it out last minute and replaced it with a now-viral speech about the state's new abortion laws.

With a shaking voice, she said: "In light of recent events, it feels wrong to talk about anything but what is currently affecting me and millions of other women in this state.

"Starting in September, there will be a ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, regardless of whether the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest."

She went on: "I have dreams, hopes, and ambitions. Every girl here does. We have spent our whole lives working towards our futures, and without our consent or input, our control over our futures has been stripped away from us.

"I am terrified that if my contraceptives fail me, that if I'm raped, then my hopes and efforts and dreams for myself will no longer be relevant. I hope you can feel how gut-wrenching it is, how dehumanizing it is, to have the autonomy over your own body taken from you."

Per the Guardian, the state's governor, Greg Abbott, signed the new legislation which bans abortion after six weeks in May.

However, at six weeks, the majority of women do not yet know they are pregnant.

Pro-choice advocates have slammed the new legislation because it does not make any exceptions for incest or rape, effectively banning abortions for women in Texas.

Hillary Clinton, the 2016 presidential candidate and women's rights activist, praised Smith's speech, writing: "This took guts. Thank you for not staying silent, Paxton."

Former Democratic Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke thanked her "for having the courage of your convictions and inspiring Texas with your refusal to accept injustice as the price of participation in civic life."

He added: "May we all use our place in this democracy to fight for what we believe to be right and follow your example!"

In an interview with D Magazine, Smith said that the viral fame her speech brought her felt "weird for me personally", but she was ultimately glad that she raised awareness of the issue.

She then urged people to vote, "and to stay involved in local elections because those have more power than I think the media gives them credit for."

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has revealed that she was a Planned Parenthood baby.

AOC backed the non-profit - which provides vital healthcare and helps millions of people across the U.S. with a multitude of family planning methods - after it's recently been targeted by Republicans attempting to defund it.

The organization offers services such as abortions, contraception, and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

Democratic congresswoman AOC, 31, praised the work of the healthcare provider in response to policies mentioned during a meeting of the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Thursday.

Speaking during a House committee hearing titled Birthing While Black: Examining America’s Black Maternal Health Crisis, AOC said:

"First and foremost, I don't want to hear a single person on this committee or outside of this committee talk about valuing life when they continue to uphold the death penalty, when they continue to support policies that disproportionally incarcerate and lead to the deaths of Black men and people throughout this country and uphold an absolutely unjust medical system that exists for profit that allows people to die because they can't afford to live.

“If we want to talk about Planned Parenthood, let’s talk about how many lives Planned Parenthood has saved and how many babies have been born because of the prenatal care provided by Planned Parenthood.”

Ocasio-Cortez, who represents New York’s 14th Congressional District, opened up about her family's involvement with the healthcare provider in the discussion about America’s Black maternal health crisis.

She went on: "If we want to talk about Planned Parenthood, let’s talk about how many lives Planned Parenthood has saved and how many babies have been because of the prenatal care provided by Planned Parenthood.

"If you don't believe it, and if you've never met a Planned Parenthood baby, I’m happy to let you know that I am one and that my mother received and relied on prenatal care from Planned Parenthood when she was pregnant with me."

However, as the Washington Examiner’s Jerry Dunleavy noted on Twitter, Planned Parenthood's 2019-2020 annual report shows it provided 354,871 abortion services from October 1, 2018, to September 30, 2019, and just 8,626 prenatal services during that same time.

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