the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Jan 6, 2025
At least 18 newborns have been abandoned in 2024 in Texas, according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. A decade ago, the number was seven.
A 28-year-old woman who gave birth next to a clothing donation bin, and left the baby there, had been living at a homeless camp. A 22-year-old woman whose infant ended up in a garbage truck told investigators she had passed out while showering, then awakened to find she had delivered. When she realized the infant was dead, she panicked and put the body in the trash.
Another woman from Guatemala, who also discarded her baby, said she didn’t know any English, never had any sex education. It wasn’t until seven months after she was raped by a family member that she even realized she was pregnant. She did not seek care because she heard about Texas officials deporting undocumented migrants. She had no idea what to do when she went into labor, much less after the baby was born.
These tragedies are happening in a state with one of the most restrictive abortion bans—no exceptions for rape or incest—as well as one of the nation’s highest birth rates. This is no coincidence.
On top of that, Texas ranked next to last for woman’s health and reproductive care, and state legislators have repeatedly cut funding for that care. The percentage of women without health insurance is higher in Texas than in any other state.
This year Governor Greg Abbott ordered Texas public hospitals to track the cost of treating undocumented immigrants, potentially deterring women from seeking care for fear of being turned over to authorities.
All of these things together have set women up to take these desperate and tragic actions of throwing their newborns in dumpsters. Texas officials are using these situations to make political propaganda. And they are prosecuting the women who are victims of these circumstances.
The real problem is the system, a system which could provide decent maternity and health care, but doesn’t. Capitalism is run by and for the wealthy. These politicians, who dare to condemn and criminalize women who never had a chance, are the ones who are responsible for these tragedies.