Texas lawmakers approve bill restricting mail delivery of abortion pills
Texas Senators have passed legislation allowing private citizens to sue people who mail abortion pills into the Republican-led US state, clearing the way for the bill to be signed into law. The move is the latest in Texas to restrict abortion access since the US Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling, which provided federal protections for the procedure. House Bill 7, which expands Texas's crackdown on abortion access to out-of-state providers, was approved in the state House of Representatives last week.
The legislation passed the Senate Wednesday and is now headed to Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who is expected to sign it into law. Republican Bryan Hughes called the legislation an attempt to prevent the pharmaceutical industry from prioritizing profits over the health of women. "We will not allow Big Pharma to pad its bottom line sending these poisonous pills into Texas," Hughes said on the floor. "This bill is about protecting the little baby growing inside her mother's womb. This bill is about protecting moms who have been victimized and lied to," he wrote on X after the bill's passage. The measure prohibits the manufacture, distribution and provision of abortion drugs within Texas and extends civil liability to out-of-state providers, manufacturers and facilitators who mail, transport, prescribe or provide them to Texans.
Women who take abortion medication will not be held liable under the bill, nor will women who take them after miscarriages. If enacted, the legislation would allow private individuals -- including those unconnected to a case -- to sue alleged violators for at least $100,000 in damages. Democrats attacked the legislation, which they criticized as encouraging turning "neighbors into informants." "HB 7 isn't about protecting life -- it's about control. It turns neighbors into informants and women into prisoners within their own state," the Texas State Democratic Caucus said in a statement.
"By dangling six-figure rewards, it incentivizes harassment, fuels abuse and opens the door to nationwide enforcement of Texas' cruel laws." Since the Supreme Court rescinded federal abortion rights in 2022, turning the issue over to the states, some have moved to restrict the procedure, including Texas where it is banned in almost all circumstances. In February, a Texas court slapped a New York doctor with a $100,000 fine for remotely prescribing abortion pills to a patient in Texas. A month prior, the same doctor was indicted for "criminal abortion" by the state of Louisiana.
