During a Texas Public Radio candidate forum, Texas State Rep. John Lujan, a Republican from San Antonio, voiced that even if his hypothetical daughter were a victim of rape, he would expect her to give birth. "As a Christian man, I'm very pro-life. But, man, I struggled with the rape and incest because, you know, I think if it was my daughter — I don't have any daughters, but if I had a daughter — and that would have been, you know, if it would have been a rape, I think we, as a personally, I would say, 'No, we're going to have the baby,' " Lujan said, elaborating on his position despite acknowledging the challenges posed by rape and incest cases within the context of Texas' strict abortion laws, which lack exceptions for such scenarios except to save the life of the mother, according to Texas Public Radio.
Democratic challenger Kristian Carranza expressed shock and censure in response to Lujan's remarks, highlighting the dire consequences women face under the current abortion legislation; "Texas women are dying, fleeing the state and being forced to carry rape and incest-related pregnancies because of extreme politicians like John Lujan," Carranza told Texas Public Radio, emphasizing the impact on her community in House District 118, which includes parts of San Antonio's South and far East sides, where the political race is markedly tight, her statement was echoed in San Antonio Current.
In addition to the contentious abortion issue, the Bexar County GOP had previously brought up intentions to file a lawsuit against Carranza for changing her last name before initiating her campaign, an action they found legally questionable, although no specific breach of law was detailed by Bexar County GOP Chairwoman Kris Coons according to San Antonio Current, later reporting revealed that Carranza has been using her mother’s maiden name professionally since 2015.
The debate over abortion rights, intensified by Lujan's comments, comes as Texas approaches its election deadlines: registration for voting ends on Oct. 7, with early voting beginning on Oct. 21, the importance of these issues cannot be overstated as voters consider their choice for the representative of a district that has become a battleground, the outcome potentially swayed by the contentious dialogue on women's reproductive rights.
