Tipsheet

Leftists Celebrate Texas Valedictorian’s Unapproved Pro-Abortion Commencement Speech

Madeline Leesman
Madeline Leesman  |  June 03, 2021 5:15 PM

Liberal celebrities, journalists and the like are rallying behind Lake Highlands High School valedictorian Paxton Smith after she ditched her approved commencement address to recite an off-script speech slamming the “heartbeat bill,” which was recently signed into law in Texas.

Smith took to the stage Sunday at her high school graduation and thanked her coach before she slipped out a smaller, quarter-folded piece of paper from inside her graduation gown. 

“Today I was going to talk about TV and media and content because it’s something that’s very important to me, however, under light of recent events, it feels wrong to talk about anything but what is currently affecting me and millions of other women in this state,” Smith said to the crowd.

Smith went on to lambaste Senate Bill 8, which was signed into law by Texas Gov. Abbott on May 19. S.B. 8 will outlaw abortion in the state of Texas after a fetal heartbeat has been detected, regardless of whether the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest. Not surprisingly, many pro-life activists celebrate this as a landmark victory while many pro-abortion activists view it as an attack on women’s rights. The law will go into effect in September.

The speech, which quickly circulated on Twitter, garnered the attention of several outspoken liberal commentators and celebrities, from “The View” panelists to Hillary Clinton, who praised Smith for speaking out against the newly-signed law.

Recommended

Some Democrats Are Admitting They Lied Before The Election Derek Hunter
MSNBC Guest Who Went After Pete Hegseth Facing Backlash From All Sides Rebecca Downs

Watch Smith's full speech here: