Pregnant woman in Texas argues her fetus is second passenger after getting a ticket

Brandy Bottone, a 34 weeks pregnant woman, was stopped by police in Dallas, Texas, when she was driving on the HOV lane, which is meant for at least two persons per car. The officer noted that it first appeared like there was just one other person in the car, but Bottone responded that she was almost 9 months pregnant. The High Occupancy Vehicle Lane or the HOV lane is a protected lane that should only be used by vehicles carrying several passengers. The purpose of this is to promote carpooling among individuals in an effort to reduce emissions and traffic.

Recollecting the incident, Bottone told CNN, "He said, 'Is there somebody else in the car?' And, looking around, I said, 'Yes there is,' and he said 'Well, where?' I pointed at my stomach and I was like, 'Right here.'"

She further added, “He said, 'Well, it's two bodies outside of the body, so that doesn't count.' I was kind of in shock, and I was like, 'Well, in light of everything that's happened, and I'm not trying to make a huge political stance here, but do you understand that this is a baby?'"

The Dallas Morning News was the first to report the interaction which happened some weeks ago, days after the Supreme Court concluded that there is no federal right to abortion and that abortion rights can be regulated by each state. Like many other states, Texas advocated for restrictions on abortion and the penal code refers to the fetus or unborn child as a ‘person.’

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Bottone said, “If we're talking about a fetus being a person, there's a lot of other rights that attach to being a person that will be litigated in the courts, such as does my fetus qualify for a tax deduction? Does my fetus qualify for citizenship? Does my fetus qualify for child support?". She further added, "These are all issues that are going to be raised and probably litigated in the courts."

Bottone claimed that her reasons failed to persuade the officers on scenes. Requests for comment from the Texas Dept. of Transportation and Dallas County were not promptly fulfilled.

(With inputs from agencies)

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