Texas has proposed a new bill that would allow HOV lanes–restricted travel lanes for vehicles that contain more than one person–to be used by pregnant women driving solo.
Texas House Bill 521, so is called, has been proposed by the Republican House Representative Briscoe Cain following an incident that occurred in the city of Plano in June.
Brandy Bottone, 34 weeks pregnant, contested a fine she got for using the HOV lane while being the only passenger in the car. She challenged it by claiming that her soon-to-be born baby counted as a passenger and therefore she should be allowed to use the lane.
This debate comes at a very critical and heated moment for women’s rights following the abolition of Roe v. Wade. While Bottone affirms she was not trying to take a political stance, but just trying to avoid paying the ticket, she also feels confused over how a woman should behave during pregnancy and whether to consider the existence of her fetus’ personhood or not.
Referring to the rhetoric surrounding abortion and the overturn of Roe V. Wade, she said, “One law is saying that this is a baby and now he’s telling me this baby that’s jabbing my ribs is not a baby. Why can’t it all make sense?”
According to the Texas Tribune, Bill 521 is one of the many bills that has been filed in this week in preparation of the 2023 legislature session. Even if most of these bills never get ratified into laws, there is still a chance that it will occur. If the HOV bill gets approval, it would become effective as part of the state’s Transportation Code of September 2023.
