Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently signed two bills into law aimed at decreasing the amount of abortion pills entering the state and curtailing public funding for out-of-state abortion travel.
House Bill 7, known as the “Woman and Child Protection Act,” passed 82-48 in the state House and 17-8 (five not voting) in the Senate and allows Texans to file civil lawsuits against anyone who manufactures, distributes, or mails abortion-inducing drugs to or from Texas. The measure is designed to deter out-of-state abortionists from mailing abortion pills into the state. Chemical abortion drugs are the most common early-term abortion method accounting for about 63 percent of all abortions nationwide. Recent studies show that the number of women being harmed after ingesting the chemical abortion drug Mifepristone are as high as 10.9 percent after just one dose. The law will take effect December 4, 2025.
According to the law, successful plaintiffs would be entitled to at least $100,000 in damages. If the plaintiff is not directly related to the aborted baby, they would only be entitled to 10 percent of the damages awarded and would have to give the remaining money to a charity of their choosing. The law protects pregnant women who take abortion pills from any penalties and lawsuits as well as any women using chemical abortion drugs to treat ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages. The law also exempts medical personnel in emergencies, postal workers, and transportation providers.
