title:  While Texas Republicans Focus On Abortions And Bathrooms, It’s Still Legal To F*ck A Cat
text: Republicans  priorities are out of whack. In Texas, the GOP is currently waging a war on women   specifically on their ability to have a safe and sanitary abortion instead of taking a wire hanger to the bathroom. Top GOP legislators in the state have waged an extended war on Planned Parenthood based on fraudulent, heavily-edited videos depicting the health organization as an evil cabal that murders babies and sells their body parts to the highest bidder.Top GOP legislators in the state have waged an extended war on Planned Parenthood based on fraudulent, heavily-edited videos depicting the health organization as an evil cabal that murders babies and sells their body parts to the highest bidder. Though the creators of the  baby parts  videos were ultimately indicted by a grand jury and face decades in prison, the war on Planned Parenthood rages on in the Lone Star State.Texas  latest assault on women s rights comes in the form of an attempt to legislate bathrooms so that transgender women   even those some would call  passable  in a callous and offhanded sense   would be forced to use the men s restroom. A bill filed Sunday would institute harsh penalties for anyone who was born with a penis if they entered a women s shower or toilet facility regardless of whether or not they identify as a woman. In fact, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick recently called this blatant act of discrimination a priority of the  highest order. That s not a euphemism  while Republicans are focused on legislating vaginas in one way or another, it is not a crime for someone to unzip his pants and violate a feline with his penis. This may seem shocking, but it s true.On Tuesday, Bloomberg published a report that revealed some horrific facts about the latest state to embarrass our nation with ridiculous attempts to legalize human rights violations:When Katie Jarl started her job as the Texas state director for the Humane Society of the U.S., she received calls on a monthly basis from law enforcement and animal cruelty officers about bestiality cases. They asked whether they could arrest individuals for animal cruelty and how they could remove the animals from the home, she said.Jarl was forced to tell them they couldn t do anything because bestiality is still legal in the state of Texas. The problem is we simply don t have a law,  she told Bloomberg BNA.  When something s not illegal, it s a problem for law enforcement. Texas is one of nine states and the District of Columbia whose criminal codes do not include an enforceable bestiality statute.Jarl says that unless someone has sex with an animal in public so they can be charged with another crime, there are no limits to what a motivated and sick individual could do to the neighborhood cat, horse, or iguana population. There is absolutely no way to stop someone from exercising their apparent right to violate an animal, Jarl says. This, of course, is a problem because crimes against animals often escalate into crimes against humans, including the children whom Republicans claim their bathroom bill would protect: Animals are often the gateway to abusing children, women, and other human beings,  she said.Prosecutor Jessica Milligan agreed. Milligan heads the animal cruelty division for the District Attorney s Office of Harris County, Texas.Violence against animals and humans typically arise in a domestic violence context, but Milligan told Bloomberg BNA that she has seen more sinister cases. Right now they aren t considered criminals,  Jarl says.  They re allowed to do this legally.  Under current laws, animal rescuers are forced to return runaway pets to their owners when there are clear signs of sexual abuse   something that is certainly not OK.Unfortunately, one major problem is that Texas legislators don t know what the f*ck is going on in a general sense, but moreso when it comes to bestiality. Jarl says she is working with lawmakers to get a law on the books that would officially ban bestiality. She says that many are surprised it is not already against the law. I never thought I would have to convince anyone that bestiality should be illegal,  she says, but in Red States, anything is possible. Unfortunately, even if she manages to make a law banning bestiality happen, Bloomberg notes that rural areas,  where animals are seen as tools,  will present a problem because unless the media gets involved, it will be difficult to bring attention to the problem.Milligan says that bestiality is becoming more common in Texas, noting an upswing in such horrific would-be crimes since about the time President Obama was re-elected (within the last four years)   though she concedes that she is unsure if bestiality is on the rise or if people are just more open about posting their exploits on social media.Interestingly, Texas legislators remain silent on this issue, preferring to expend energy and taxpayer money on a nonsensical, multi-pronged war on women.Featured image via My San Antonio/Visualizeus