Pregnant Texans Continue to Be Pulled Over in Carpool Lane After Abortion Ruling: ‘I Have Two Heartbeats in the Car’

Officials in Texas continue to ticket pregnant women for driving in the carpool lanes, despite the state's stance on abortion that grants unborn children the rights of people.

The pushback comes in response to the state's abortion ban, which prohibits abortions after detection of a fetal heartbeat.

A Texas woman, who did not wish to be named, told the Daily Mail she was alone in her car while pregnant and driving in a carpool lane, which is reserved for vehicles with two or more passengers, when she was ticketed. She protested the ticket, and is not the first pregnant woman to challenge the state's apparent hypocrisy.

Another woman, who only identified herself as Jacqueline, told the outlet she was pulled over in late June while pregnant and driving in the carpool lane.

When the officer asked if she had two people in the car, she said yes.

"Yes, I'm pregnant; I'm 32 weeks pregnant. I have two heartbeats in the car," Jacqueline recalled as her response.

She was ticketed and inspired to fight the ticket, plead not guilty and advance the issue after hearing about Brandy Bottone's story.

In June 2022, Bottone was pulled over for driving in the carpool lane. It was five days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and Bottone argued that her unborn child now counted as a person.

Her story was picked up nationwide and her citation was ultimately dropped. She now hears from women who are in similar situations, she told the Daily Mail.

"Other women have reached out to me where they said, 'I don't know what to do, this is too much for me. I'll just pay the fine,'" Bottone said.

She criticized the lack of clarity Texas lawmakers have on enforcing the traffic rules.

"It makes no sense; it's just whatever fits their agenda for that day," Bottone said.

Two bills were introduced in the Texas Legislature to allow pregnant women to dive in the HOV lane, but both bills died before going to floor vote, Dallas Morning News reported in August.

“At this time, the use of HOV lanes by pregnant drivers is not specifically addressed by state law," a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson told the news outlet.

Texas has some of the strictest abortion laws in the country, prohibiting all abortions after six weeks and allowing only narrow exceptions.

On Monday, Kate Cox, a woman at the center of a high-profile abortion case, announced she left the state to seek an abortion for her high-risk pregnancy after facing multiple court ruling delays.