Oxytocin, a hormone secreted by the pea-sized pituitary gland at the base of the brain, has been called the “love hormone” because it plays a crucial role in social interactions.

Researchers say it’s what makes mothers put their lives on the line to defend her children.

Last week, Shelley Luther, the mother of two daughters in Dallas, Texas, went to jail after she defied an order requiring her to shut down her salon as a nonessential business during the COVID-19 pandemic. District Judge Eric Moyé fined her $7,000 and warned that she would be fined a further $500 a day if the business continued to remain open.

Judge Moyé is a politically active Democrat who was first appointed as a judge in 1992 by Ann Richards, the last Democrat to serve as governor of Texas. At the hearing, the judge said Luther could avoid jail if she apologized for being selfish, shut the salon and paid the fine.

Wearing a protective mask, Luther replied: “I have to disagree with you, sir, when you say that I’m selfish, because feeding my kids is not selfish. So, sir, if you think the law’s more important than kids getting fed, then please go ahead with your decision. But I am not going to shut the salon.”

Before going to prison, Luther explained that she kept the salon open because she’s two months behind on her mortgage and needed the money. She added that the salon, which instituted strict sanitation and social distancing measures, employs 19 people and they too needed to pay their bills.

Luther’s attorney, Warren Norred, said there are executive orders saying you can’t work, but they don’t say you don’t have to pay your bills. He also pointed to the Dallas County District Attorney’s office’s recent mandate to not prosecute theft under $750, which means you can steal $749 and avoid jail time, but if you try to earn a living with your own business, you go to jail.

The jailing of the Dallas mom caused an immediate firestorm.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called it a “political stunt” and “an abuse of discretion and that the judge should not put people in jail like her who are just trying to make a living.”

In a letter to Moyé, Paxton said: “As a mother, Ms. Luther wanted to feed her children. As a small-business owner, she wanted to help her employees feed their children. Needless to say, these are laudable goals that warrant the exercise of enforcement discretion.”

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick tweeted that he would personally pay off Luther’s fine. A GoFundMe account set up for Luther raised nearly $500,000 in just two days.

Gov. Greg Abbott amended his lockdown executive order to free Luther and banned “confinement as a punishment” for violating virus mitigation orders.

“Throwing Texans in jail who have had their businesses shut down through no fault of their own is nonsensical, and I will not allow it to happen,” he said in a news release.

Speaking from the White House, where he met President Donald Trump, Abbott told reporters: “We should not be taking these people and put them behind bars; these people who have spent their life building up a business.”

Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted: “7 days in jail for cutting hair?? This is NUTS. And government officials don’t get to order citizens to apologize to them for daring to earn a living.”

KrisAnne Hall, an attorney and former prosecutor who travels the country teaching the Constitution and is a regular consultant on America’s founding documents for numerous radio, podcast and television programs, called Moyé a judge with a political agenda and said his judicial misconduct is the kind of bad behavior our Founding Founders referenced as grounds for removal.

The home page on Hall’s website carries the slogan: “Liberty over security; Principle over party and Truth over personality. It also includes a prominent quote by Founding Father Samuel Adams: “No people will tamely surrender their Liberties … when knowledge is diffused and virtue is preserved.”

Luther, who was released from jail on Friday, should not have to apologize to a politically motivated judge for trying to feed her children. The judge in this case is the one who should apologize for showing an self-seeking arrogance and inflated ego that no American should have to tolerate.

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com