Texas lawmakers approve necessary reproductive care but crack down on abortion seekers

AUSTIN, Texas (CN) — Debates over abortion policy cropped up once again in the Texas House of Representatives as lawmakers gave initial approval to two bills with very different goals on the controversial issue.

The first of the two bills taken up by lawmakers was Senate Bill 31, a proposal that would add clarifying language to the state’s abortion bans. Representative Charlie Geren, a Republican from Fort Worth, sponsored the bill in the House. He told his colleagues that doctors and hospitals need the bills to make the laws understandable.

“It is simple: We do not want women to die from medical emergencies during their pregnancy,” Geren said, laying out the bill. “We know women have died after care was delayed or denied.”

Senate Bill 31, also known as the Life of the Mother Act, would allow physicians, using their “reasonable medical judgment,” to provide a life-saving abortion to a mother or to prevent impairment of her major bodily functions. Geren emphasized that the bill does not allow abortions to be provided in cases of rape, incest or fatal fetal abnormalities.

Geren said abortions would be permitted in cases where a mother’s water breaks before the fetus is viable, also known as preterm premature rupture of membranes or PPROM. This complication can lead to infection and possible death of the mother.

Few know the horrors of such a condition like Amanda Zurawski, a Texas woman who developed sepsis after being diagnosed with PPROM, but doctors refused to intervene.

Zurawski survived the complication, but it led to significant damage to her reproductive organs. She, along with 19 other women who had similar experiences, sued the state, asking the courts to give clarity to the laws so that doctors can provide life-saving care without fear of prosecution. The case ended up before the Texas Supreme Court, where in 2024, it rejected their calls, finding that the state’s anti-abortion laws “permit life-saving abortions.”

While SB 31 appears to address the concerns of the women involved in Zurawski’s** case, it falls short of covering women whose baby has been diagnosed with a fatal abnormality — meaning that as long as the fetus does not pose a risk to the mother, it cannot be aborted, regardless of whether it will survive outside of the womb.

Despite the bill having a wide reach of support from medical organizations, anti-abortion groups and members of both parties, some conservative members of the House were vocal in their opposition to any change in the state’s laws.

“No doctor has ever been imprisoned solely for performing an abortion to save a mother’s life," said Representative David Lowe, a Republican from North Richland Hills. “This bill does not protect life, it weakens it.”

Lowe’s words did not appear to sway many of his fellow Republican lawmakers as the final vote was 126 to six.

Stifling abortion seekers

The House also voted on Senate Bill 33, a bill that would prohibit governmental entities from providing financial or logistical support to residents who are seeking to travel to another state to obtain an abortion.

“Taxpayers should not have their tax dollars fund an activity that is illegal in Texas,” said Candy Noble, a Republican from Lucas and sponsor of SB 33.

After Texas criminalized abortion, liberal cities began exploring ways to support their citizens who may be seeking to terminate a pregnancy out of state. Austin and San Antonio adopted reproductive health grant programs to help abortion seekers with money, transportation, lodging, food or child support. Those programs are currently being litigated in cases filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who accuses the cities of violating state law.

Under SB 33, the attorney general is permitted to bring civil lawsuits against violators to obtain injunctive and declaratory relief.

Noble noted that the Legislature has in the past worked to prevent cities from supporting activities that are illegal in the state. However, cities have exploited a loophole that SB 33 aims to close.

Representative Donna Howard, a Democrat from Austin, asked Noble if her bill will prevent local governments from aiding victims of rape, incest or fatal pregnancy abnormalities who are seeking to travel for an abortion. Noble responded to each question that SB 33 will prevent cities from funding illegal activity.

“So helping rape victims would not be okay?” Howard pressed again.

Lawmakers were more divided on whether to advance SB 33, as the bill passed 89 to 57.

Both SB 31 and SB 33 must receive a final vote in the House Chamber before being sent back to the Senate. There, senators will have a chance to consider any changes to the legislation the House made. If approved, the bills will proceed to Governor Greg Abbott for his signature before becoming law.

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