Abortion access has no doubt been one of the most divisive issues in Texas for decades.
It’s been nearly twelve years since then-State Sen. Wendy Davis laced up a pair of pink sneakers to protest legislation restricting abortion access in Texas. Davis’ filibuster won the day in 2013, but the legal landscape has changed significantly since.
The Supreme Court effectively overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, and Texas was quick to react and essentially ban all abortions. Since then, there have been some efforts to clarify the laws, but gaps have remained.
At least three women have died in Texas when medical care was delayed or denied. Now there’s a bill bringing lawmakers together on the issue.
Blaise Gainey, who covers the statehouse for The Texas Newsroom, said the bill — Senate Bill 31 — had bipartisan support when it passed the Senate earlier this session.
“(Lawmakers) feel as though… The law currently may not be as clear as doctors need it to be, so they’re making adjustments,” he said. “People believe those (adjustments) are needed to make sure that we don’t have instances where doctors just feel like they wanna save the life of the mother, they believe in their heart that it’s right, but they’re worried about the law, and possibly losing their license.”
Gainey said critics of this bill on the right feel the law is clear enough, and worry this addition might create unwanted loopholes.
There are also critics on the left, who worry SB 31 doesn’t go far enough to protect women facing pregnancy-related medical emergencies.
SB 31 could make it to the House floor for discussion and a possible vote this week, Gainey said.
“My expectation would be that it would pass through,” he said. “Obviously, Democrats would want to go further, but at the end of the day, this (could save) the life of mothers who are experiencing ectopic pregnancies. Or in other occasions where they may be having a miscarriage or maybe just losing blood.
There are so many different things that can happen in this situation, and this saves lives. I think most people – at least most elected officials – are on the side of voting for this.”
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This bill ultimately functions in part by offering more information, and therefore protection, to the doctors considering abortion-related care, Gainey said. Sometimes, for example, an abortion procedure is needed to ensure a patient experiencing a miscarriage does not have leftover material in her uterus that could cause infection.
“I think the main point is just to explain when a doctor can go in,” Gainey said.
“Each situation, each pregnancy is so unique that it would be hard for the law to mention every single instance. So it tries to basically say if there’s an emergency where it looks as if the woman will have serious injury or serious loss of being able to function if she keeps the baby, then essentially, you can go in as a doctor and provide an abortion.”
