A pregnant woman in Plano, Texas, is arguing for the right to personhood for her unborn fetus — and authorities aren't buying her side of the story.
Brandy Bottone was stopped by a police officer on June 29, 2022. Her offense? Violating the local HOV lane regulations, which stipulate that two or more passengers must be in the vehicle to use the lane.
The officer searched Bottone's car, examining the back seat to make sure no one else was in there. When asked where her second passenger was, Bottone, merely pointed to her 34-week-pregnant belly and said, "Right here."
The officer insisted that an unborn fetus doesn't count as a second person, to which Bottone replied, "Well [I'm] not trying to throw a political mix here, but with everything going on [with Roe v. Wade], this counts as a baby."
In the end, Bottone was issued a $275 ticket, but she has plans to fight the charge in court. As she told The Dallas Morning News, "This has my blood boiling. How could this be fair? According to the new law, this is a life."
