TEXAS — After three Texas women died last fall because of being denied medically necessary abortions, state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, wrote an opinion piece for the Houston Chronicle stating, “I wrote Texas’ abortion law. It’s plenty clear about medical emergencies.” But now he’s seeming to have reversed his attitude on the state’s abortion ban.

What You Need To Know

  • State Sen. Bryan Hughes has proposed the Life of the Mother Act in Texas, aiming to clarify when abortions can legally occur during medical emergencies

  • Emotional testimonies from the public, including from Amanda Zurawski, highlighted the need for clarity in the law

  • The bill has garnered support from medical associations and has potential bipartisan backing, though it faces opposition from reproductive rights advocates

  • Critics worry the new wording could inadvertently reinforce a century-old abortion ban, with significant legal implications for pregnant patients

“This bill is to remove any excuse from a doctor or a hospital treating a mom, for example, with an ectopic pregnancy, or a mom who’s, who’s, suffered a miscarriage or situations like that to remove any question, any hesitation,” said Hughes during Thursday’s hearing of the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs.

The Life of the Mother Act drew emotional and notable public testimony, including from Amanda Zurawski, who sued the state of Texas after she nearly died while waiting for a medically necessary abortion.

“It is unclear whether Senate Bill 31 would have prevented my trauma and preserved my fertility had it existed in 2022. And I find that to be problematic,” said Zurawski.

Her experience triggered a push for clarity to the state’s abortion law. Hughes’ Life of the Mother Act specifies doctors don’t need to wait for a life-threatening situation to end a pregnancy.

“This bill will clear up confusion and this bill will save women’s lives,” said Tyler OB/GYN Dr. Julia Ayala.

The bill is supported by the state’s medical and hospital associations and is poised to have bipartisan support, but there is pushback from some reproductive rights advocates who believe passage of the law could trigger the reenactment of the states 100-year-old abortion law.

“It really goes beyond and furthers restriction to abortion care in Texas,” said Andrea Medina-Alvarado with the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.

Critics claim the bill’s wording reinstates the state’s 1925 abortion ban, potentially reversing a court ruling that struck down the century-old law, thus exposing patients to prosecution. Current law prohibits prosecuting a pregnant patient who undergoes an abortion.

“It leads me to wonder if this bill had existed when I nearly died, would I have been criminalized for seeking care to save my own life?” Zurawski questioned.

Gov. Greg Abbotts’s office did not confirm whether he would sign this bill into law if it comes to his desk. His press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, said in a statement, “Governor Abbott will review any clarifying statutory proposals, and he will continue working with the Texas Legislature to help our expectant mothers in need while protecting the most vulnerable among us.”