Abortion clarification bill heads to full Texas Senate

AUSTIN – The Dallas Morning News reports A proposal to clarify Texas’ strict abortion laws and allow doctors to provide emergency abortion care — along with amendments aimed at addressing concerns that pregnant women themselves could be criminalized — passed a key legislative hurdle Tuesday. The Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs voted 11-0 to send an amended version of Senate Bill 31 to the full Senate. That bill was authored by Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola. Abortion rights advocates have raised concerns that the originally filed version of the bill could resurrect a century-old law that would criminalize women who receive abortions. They’ve called for the bill to be amended. Before sending the bill to the full Senate, the Committee on State Affairs adopted a substitute version of Senate Bill 31.

Hughes described the changes to the bill in the committee meeting. “The committee substitute reflects feedback to strengthen the bill, make sure that pregnant women — further clarify they would not be prosecuted in any way,” Hughes said. Hughes’ office sent a copy of the substitute version to The Dallas Morning News. The substitute version removes some of the references to the century-old abortion ban. The substitute also makes it clearer that doctors do not need to wait until a medical condition is “actively injuring” the pregnant woman before providing necessary abortion care. In a joint statement Tuesday evening, five abortion rights advocates and survivors of traumatic pregnancies said they had learned of the changes earlier in the day. They were taking time to review the changes to the bills, according to the statement, which was issued by reproductive rights organization Free & Just. Tuesday’s committee meeting, which lasted about six minutes according to the recording posted online, did not include any discussion of the bill.