Gov. Greg Abbott wants to eliminate rape. More than 90% of sexual assault cases in Texas are never reported.

After signing a new voting bill into law on Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott was asked if victims of rape or incest would be legally required to carry a pregnancy to term.

After insisting they wouldn't because the law "provides at least six weeks for a person to be able to get an abortion," despite the fact that most women discover they are pregnant four to five weeks in, the governor doubled down by noting that rape is a crime in the state.

"Rape is a crime and Texas will work tirelessly to make sure that we eliminate all rapists from the streets of Texas by going out and arresting them and prosecuting them and getting them off the streets," Abbott said.

The state's new law that bans abortion at about six weeks of pregnancy doesn't include exceptions for victims of rape or incest. It permits private individuals to sue people who aid or abet an abortion in violation of the law.

For the state to identify rapists, victims of the criminal act must come forward. Historically, the majority of victims have not.

According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, which describes itself as the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the nation, one in every six American women has been the victim of rape or attempted rape. Three percent of men have experienced this, too.

A 2015 University of Texas study from the school's Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (IDVSA) said more than a third Texans have experienced some form of sexual assault in their lifetime.

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RAINN, citing a U.S. Justice Department survey released in 2020, said 310 out of every 10,000 rapes are reported to police. That's about a third. Of those 310, just 50 lead to arrest, leading to just 25 out of 1,000 rapes resulting in incarceration. That's 2.5% of all rapes nationally.

In Texas, the IDVSA study reported a lower rate of victims reporting sexual violence to law enforcement, finding 9.2% of victims reporting, meaning more than 90% of assaults are unreported.

In a 2019 study, the Texas Department of Safety reported more than 14,000 rapes. Charges resulted in less than a quarter of those reported cases, or 23.7%. DPS reported 2,200 were arrested on the charge year, but did not specify how many resulted in criminal penalties for suspected offenders.

"People who experience sexual assault do not report to law enforcement for a variety of reasons," the director of UT's IDVSA, Noël Busch-Armendariz, told the Statesman. "Trauma and the impact of immediate trauma and post trauma plays a big role in reporting or a decision to not report."

The IDVSA is a part of UT's school of social work and works to study the scope and impact of sexual assault within Texas.

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As part of the institute's 2016 study, researchers asked Texas sexual assault victims why they did not report the assault to law enforcement. Victims provided various reasons including, they did not define their experience as a crime, they were too young to report the assault, they were too scared to report the assault, or they felt "stupid" or ashamed about the assault.

Victims also reported being concerned they would not be believed, or thought that reporting the assault might jeopardize their employment or immigration status.

Under Texas law, sexual assault is a second-degree felony. Conviction can lead to a sentence of anywhere from two to 20 years in prison or a maximum fine of $10,000.

Aggravated sexual assault is more serious. A first-degree felony, this charge can result in five to 99 years in prison or a maximum fine of $10,000.

If you've been a victim of sexual assault, the city of Austin lists multiple resources available to you. Click here to view crisis hotlines, victim assistance programs, and support and counseling services.

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