Internet outraged as judge John Devine boasts of 37 arrests in clip as Texas SC blocks Kate Cox's abortion

AUSTIN, TEXAS: Amid reports of the Texas Supreme Court denying abortion to 21-week pregnant Kate Cox, whose fetus was diagnosed with a fatal genetic condition, a 2012 video of Judge John Devine of the Texas SC has resurfaced online where he bragged about harassing 37 women at abortion clinics.

In a thirty-five-second video that was shared on social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), the judge was seen talking to a crowd through his microphone about his anti-abortion activities.

He said, "I want to submit to you that before I ever got into politics my convictions were forged into the crucibles of the pro-life movement. I ran into a bunch of crazy catholics and they talked me into rescuing at abortion clinic. And I rescued in Austin, Corpus Christi and was arrested 37 times."

Devine continued bragging, indicating that despite the arrests, he was standing before them as someone who could win the Texas Supreme Court. "Now isn't it an irony that today I stand before you as one who could very well win the Texas Supreme Court."

According to a report by The Texas Tribune, the video is from 2012, when he spoke at a rally in Fort Worth, Texas, when he first ran for a seat on the Texas Supreme Court.

John Devine is an anti-abortion activist

Devine entered the Texas Supreme Court in 2013, defeating incumbent David M Medina. He has been a staunch anti-abortion activist for years since the 1980s. His anti-abortion ideology was also a prominent part of his run for the SC.

According to The Texas Tribune report, Devine and his wife, Nubia Devine, continued a high-risk pregnancy, their seventh one, which was fatal for both the mother and the fetus. Nubia survived the birth, and the daughter lived for only an hour. The couple together has six children.

Pregnant Kate Cox leaves Texas for abortion

After the state Supreme Court ruled against a lower court decision to grant abortion to Cox as the pregnancy may affect her future fertility, the mother has decided to get an out-of-state abortion, reported CNN.

Her lawsuit was one of the first attempts in Texas after the SCOTUS overturned Roe v Wade in 2022, giving the power to individual states to decide on abortion laws. Texas is one of the most abortion-restrictive states in the country that prohibits the procedure after roughly six weeks of pregnancy.

Internet slams John Devine's anti-abortion bragging

Netizens are shocked to hear a state Supreme Court judge boasting about his arrests for preventing women from getting an abortion.

One user said, "It's injustice to society that he's a high court justice."

Another user said, "These people are just broken in ways that are beyond me."

"How does someone who was arrested 37 times wind up on any court??" a user asked.

"Imagine being proud of that...." said one user.

One user remarked, "He also didn’t care that his wife almost died giving birth to their seventh child. The doctor recommended aborting to save her life and they didn’t. The baby died shortly after birth. His wife survived, but he was perfectly okay with leaving his six children motherless."

"This is what misogyny looks like," noted one user.

Another user added, "If Katie dies, her husband should sue him, the AG and the Governor. This ruling has nothing to do with the sanctity of life. It is all about power, control, and being cruel."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.