this post was submitted on 14 May 2025
371 points (96.3% liked)

Not The Onion

16217 readers
1782 users here now

Welcome

We're not The Onion! Not affiliated with them in any way! Not operated by them in any way! All the news here is real!

The Rules

Posts must be:

  1. Links to news stories from...
  2. ...credible sources, with...
  3. ...their original headlines, that...
  4. ...would make people who see the headline think, “That has got to be a story from The Onion, America’s Finest News Source.”

Please also avoid duplicates.

Comments and post content must abide by the server rules for Lemmy.world and generally abstain from trollish, bigoted, or otherwise disruptive behavior that makes this community less fun for everyone.

And that’s basically it!

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

🤦

Republican lawmakers in Texas have once again introduced a bill that tries to shove fetal personhood into carpool lane regulations. This time, however, the bill passed the House after an amendment from Democrats to include all mothers, whether their children are in the car or not. The dangerous proposal that could further entrench the idea of personhood into state law now goes to the Senate for consideration.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] grue@lemmy.world 44 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

This is sexist against fathers and therefore unconstitutional.

Bill text:

Sec. 545.429. USE OF HIGH OCCUPANCY VEHICLE LANE BY CERTAIN OPERATORS. (a) Subject to Subsection (b), a female operator of a motor vehicle who is pregnant or is a parent or legal guardian of another person is entitled to use any high occupancy vehicle lane in this state regardless of the number of occupants in the motor vehicle.

Texas Constitution:

ARTICLE 1. BILL OF RIGHTS

Sec. 3a. EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW. Equality under the law shall not be denied or abridged because of sex, race, color, creed, or national origin. This amendment is self-operative.


What this would actually do (once the test case ruled that it would have to apply to fathers too) is destroy HOV lanes entirely by making everybody able to use them, since the state would have the burden of proof to show that the driver has never had children.

[–] humanspiral@lemmy.ca 12 points 22 hours ago

destroy HOV lanes entirely by making everybody able to use them

In Texas, God intended for you to use the most gas possible, and sharing a ride is communism.

[–] Ghostbanjo1949@lemmy.mengsk.org 7 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Came here to say this too. This just makes HOV pointless.

[–] Almacca@aussie.zone 6 points 22 hours ago

In my experience , they're pretty much already useless anyway.

[–] BigPotato@lemmy.world 3 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

They're not managed at all anyway. This just paves the way towards pulling up the little bumpy things that divide the HOV from the rest of the road.

[–] Ghostbanjo1949@lemmy.mengsk.org 1 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Maybe in Texas, but other states I've lived in they are definitely managed and enforced.

[–] BigPotato@lemmy.world 4 points 20 hours ago

But this article is about Texas...

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 3 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Wouldn't maternity leave also be sexist with that logic?

[–] Railcar8095@lemm.ee 14 points 1 day ago (2 children)

That's why on the first world we have paternity leave. I as a father even had breastfeeding breaks, with the intention of giving the same rights to both parents.

[–] BeardedGingerWonder@feddit.uk 4 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I was with you right up to the breastfeeding breaks, what exactly is the game plan for that break?

[–] Railcar8095@lemm.ee 2 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Two fold: first, making both parents equal in rights. Second, you can pump milk in advance and give with a bottle. Even if it's formula, allows the father to be involved.

[–] BeardedGingerWonder@feddit.uk 1 points 13 hours ago

So it's just a feeding break?

[–] gonzo-rand19@moist.catsweat.com 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Pumped milk can be stored in a bottle and taken with you anywhere you want. I'm told it's very convenient.

[–] LordGimp@lemm.ee 4 points 1 day ago

Snacks on the go

[–] pahlimur@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

In somewhat decent states we have it. Oregon does 12 weeks paternity leave and allows it to be intermittent. I did 2 days off for several months recently for our newest screaming asshole of a baby.

[–] FooBarrington@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

There's a material difference between the impact of pregnancy on mothers and fathers (though the latter should also get leave, but I understand if someone argues that mothers need more to recover physically).

This has no bearing on which lane one can use.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 2 points 1 day ago

If you're a transgender man who can get pregnant, I don't see why you cannot use the HOV lane 🫃

[–] grue@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Well, yeah.

But also maternity leave isn't even in the law here in the US anyway (maybe some states have it for all I know, but even if so I doubt Texas is among them), so it's equal-opportunity shittiness and the clause I cited doesn't really apply.