Texas high school valedictorian scraps her approved graduation speech - blasts anti-abortion

[Demovictory9]

Texas high school valedictorian scraps her approved graduation speech and instead BLASTS state's anti-abortion bill from the podium, calling it a 'war on my body and a war on my rights'

Lake Highlands High School valedictorian Paxton Smith had initially planned to use her speech to discuss the effect of the media on young minds
Instead, she swapped it at the last minute for an impassioned address on Texas's 'dehumanizing' new anti-abortion bill

The law, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott last month, bans abortions at as early as six weeks, when some women don't even know they're pregnant yet
Paxton told a crowd that it's 'gut-wrenching' to 'have the autonomy over your own body taken from you'

She said she is terrified that if she is raped or if her contraceptives fail, 'my hopes and aspirations and dreams and efforts for my future will no longer matter'

Her speech had gone viral, earning praise from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former US Representative Beto O'Rourke of Texas



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-9647659/High-school-student-replaces-graduation-speech-abortion-rights-call.html

[secondwind]

1. This young woman means business.

[Demovictory9]

3. Yeah..smart and brave

[Grins]

2. She was interviewed today.

1.
Told her parents the day before.
They were cautious but OK with it.
2.
Said she wasn’t sure what kind of reaction she would get from her fellow graduates.
They overwhelming cheered for her.
3.
My favorite:
Immediately after, some moralizing Reich-wing crackpot with either the school or the city told her they were thinking of denying her her diploma!!

Typical. Ultimately they didn’t.

[Grins]

4. If the drug-addicted "Medal of Freedumb!" winner was still alive

Rush Limbaugh would have “Sandra Fluked” her every day this week. I wonder who will step into that (gaping) void?

[bahboo]

5. Lake Highlands is a BIG high school....

bet this is major news throughout the state....

[Tree Lady]

6. I read the article yesterday, that takes some guts

I was saying just a few days ago on FB that that youth of today need to take up the fight we started many decades ago.

Glad to see it happening! 👍😁

[Liberal In Texas]

7. Proud of this young lady. Lake Highlands is the next neighborhood over.

I actually lived there at one time. This is deep blue Texas.

I just wished we outnumbered the rubes out in rural and especially East Texas. (Gohmert country)

You go girl!

[markie]

8. get that woman into politics!!

brave and wise