Political reporters from the Texas Tribune have noted an unusual silence from Sen. Ted Cruz's campaign on issues surrounding reproductive rights. The nonpartisan news organization reached out multiple times to the Republican senator, seeking his stance on abortion bans, but received only unrelated responses amid a closely contested Texas Senate race against Congressman and former NFL linebacker Colin Allred.
Cruz has been a vocal anti-abortion advocate throughout his political career, a stance Allred used against him in a recent statewide ad. Allred criticized the GOP incumbent for his role in the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and Texas' subsequent abortion ban.
With Election Day approaching, Cruz and former President Donald Trump have noticeably refrained from touting their involvement in anti-abortion legislation as they have in the past. While Trump has distanced himself from a national abortion ban, stating he would let states decide, Cruz, who represents the state that led the widespread abortion ban movement, is now similarly avoiding the topic.
The Texas Tribune contacted Cruz's campaign eight times over six weeks to inquire about his positions on issues like a national abortion ban and his seemingly conflicting stance on IVF – a process that involves the disposal of fertilized embryos – which he says he supports while also advocating for fetal personhood.
The news organization claimed that "Cruz's campaign did not respond directly to questions, instead providing links to previous statements he had made on the topic in other interviews. Those statements did not address several specific questions."
The Texas abortion ban, which lacks exceptions for rape and incest, has faced criticism for its restrictive nature. Cruz has not supported amending the law, while Allred backs federal abortion protections. If elected to the Senate, Allred said he would support changing the filibuster to pass a federal abortion protection law.
Cruz continues to depict Allred as extreme on abortion, alleging he supports late-term abortions, a claim Allred has repeatedly denied. Despite Texas' historical Republican dominance, the Texas Tribune suggests the abortion debate may influence voter turnout and engagement nationwide, especially among young Latina and Black voters.
The Latin Times sent out a media request to Sen. Cruz's office, but a response was not received before the publication of this article.
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