Texas Baptist pastor who advocated executing women for abortion faces child sexual assault charges

Stephen Bratton, a 43-year-old recently former Southern Baptist pastor in Cypress Station, Texas, has been charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting a teenage relative over several years. From the Houston Chronicle:

Stephen Bratton, who resigned from Grace Family Baptist Church in Cypress Station last month, was charged Friday with continuous sexual abuse of a child, Senior Deputy Thomas Gilliland said Saturday. The 43-year-old is accused of inappropriate touching that escalated to “sexual intercourse multiple times a day or several times a week” from 2013 to 2015, Gilliland said.

Bratton seemed to have a keen interest in controlling women’s bodies and their health care. Because, of course he did. 

Bratton has been an outspoken pro-life advocate, making national news recently for supporting a failed bill that would have made it possible to criminally charge women who terminate their pregnancies.

Bratton didn’t merely want to prosecute women for abortion, he supported a bill that have made abortion a capital felony and could even carry the death penalty for women. 

The Houston Chronicle reports Bratton confessed to his wife, who called his fellow church leaders. To their credit, they notified police the same day and took steps to immediately dismiss him and excommunicate him. 

Unfortunately, Bratton paid a $50,000 bond and was released.