Texas is already under multiple abortion bans, but a new bill specifically targets medication abortion
On Thursday August 28, the Texas House began debating the latest bill looking to restrict abortion in a state that already has multiple abortion bans. The bill, also known as House Bill 7, would allow private citizens to sue health care providers or manufacturers who mail or prescribe abortion medication to Texans.
Passing a bill cracking down on abortion medication was an agenda item from Governor Abbott in this second special session. A similar version to this bill failed to pass in the House in the regular session, and many Texas Republicans vowed to remedy that this summer. And tensions were high Thursday evening as the bill’s author Rep. Jeff Leach introduced HB 7.
Last week when Leach was testifying in front of the State Affairs Committee about the bill, he noted that it was specifically crafted in an “innovative” way (relying upon civil litigation) to target abortion pills. And because of the rise of telemedicine, the abortion rate has actually increased in the United States since the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The research and policy organization the Guttmacher Institute released a report noting that abortion medication accounted for 63 percent of all abortions in the United States in 2023, an increase from 53 percent three years earlier.
Speaking against the bill, Rep. Donna Howard talked about coming of age in the days before Roe. She said the landmark legislation was both “revolutionary and liberating” and saved women’s lives. Howard though noted that the only reason there has not been a return to dangerous abortions like the kind that occurred before Roe, is because of abortion pills. Howard then stated the safety and efficacy of both mifepristone and misoprostol, the two drugs used in a medication abortion. They both pose way fewer risks than penicillin or Viagra. “Where’s the life of the father act to protect these men?” cracked Howard about a potential law against Viagra.
Democrats lined up after Howard to speak out against the bill. Rep. Vicki Goodwin, who is also running for Lt. Governor, ended her remarks by saying that most Texans do not support this bill. Recent polling shows that Goodwin is correct. The Texas Politics Project released a poll in April, which showed that 54 percent of Texans either oppose or strongly oppose bills that would sanction civil lawsuits against abortion pill providers.
Rep. Jolanda Jones urged her fellow colleagues to vote against the bill, which she called “the political policing of medicine.” She also highlighted the irony of this vote happening one day after a bill was passed that would allow ivermectin, a non-FDA approved drug to be sold over the counter. Jones also said the bill runs counter to the pro-business ethos of Texas. “You could sue mail-order pharmacies for doing their job, that’s not supporting business it’s strangling it,” she said.
During his questioning, Rep. Chris Turner asked author Leach about a recent story from the Dallas Morning News, which showed the rise of Texans fearful of being pregnant in the state. Leach said he had not read the article and did not answer Turner about whether or not a bill like HB 7 would increase those fears.
Leach also seemed to downplay the very real risks of pregnancy in the state of Texas, which has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country (especially for black women). Leach said that there was danger in almost every activity, including walking down stairs.
After that line of questioning, debate on the bill was shut down. It received initial approval in the Texas House 84-46. Notably Republican Speaker Dustin Burrows also voted for the bill (the speaker normally abstains).
Republican State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione also voted for the bill, and he was listed as a coauthor. The North Texas Republican announced he was not seeking re-election after a woman came forward and said she had a multi-year affair with the married lawmaker and that he forced her to have several abortions. Capriglione has admitted to an affair but denied paying for abortions.
After the initial vote for HB 7, Texas House Democrats blasted the legislation and called it the “nation’s most extreme abortion bill.” Texas House Minority Leader Rep. Gene Wu said in a statement that HB 7 was “extremist legislation” that endangers women. “HB 7 turns our communities into hunting grounds for extremist vigilantes, offering $100,000 bounties to anyone willing to spy on women seeking lifesaving healthcare,” said Wu. “This bill was written specifically to allow extremist organizations to enrich themselves while terrorizing innocent Texas women.”
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