Texas

Texas Supreme Court considers abortion challenge

"The Supreme Court of Texas heard arguments Tuesday in a landmark case that could impact how the state’s abortion laws apply to medically complicated pregnancies. In August, state District Judge Jessica Mangrum ruled that the near-total abortion ban cannot be enforced in cases involving complicated pregnancies, including lethal fetal diagnoses. The state immediately appealed that ruling, putting it on hold. Texas law allows abortions only when it is necessary to save the life of the pregnant patient. But this lawsuit, filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights in March, claims that doctors are unsure when the medical exception applies, resulting in delayed or…
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Texas businesses say abortion ban costs state nearly $15 billion a year

"40 Texas companies and business leaders are entering the fight against Texas’ abortion ban, filing a brief with the Texas Supreme Court that argues the “ambiguity” in the laws medical exceptions cost the state an estimated $14.5 billion in lost revenue every year. Austin-based dating app giant Bumble is leading the effort, submitting an amicus brief ahead of the high court’s arguments in Zurawski v. Texas. Lead plaintiff Amanda Zurawski is challenging the state’s abortion ban after she nearly died of sepsis due to a pregnancy complication. She says the Texas abortion ban’s vague medical exceptions prevented her doctor from providing a…
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With no opposition in the room, a rural Texas county makes traveling for an abortion on its roads illegal

"Commissioners in this rural Texas county that borders New Mexico on Thursday gave their unanimous blessing to a legally dubious policy that effectively outlaws travel on its local roads to seek an abortion. The five-member panel in Cochran County, which sits about an hour west of Lubbock, agreed with Mark Lee Dickson, founder of the “sanctuary cities” initiative, who said the ordinance was needed to finish the work started in the state’s near-total ban, often referred to as Senate Bill 8...."
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To expand abortion access in Texas, a lawmaker gets creative

"Texas's Republican Governor Greg Abbott addressed a rally earlier this year, celebrating the abortion bans that took effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. "As long as I am governor of the great state of Texas, Texas will always protect the unborn," he told a cheering crowd. So it may be surprising that just a few weeks ago, Abbott signed a law giving doctors leeway to provide abortions in Texas when a patient's water breaks too early and for ectopic pregnancies. There was considerably less fanfare for that signing..."
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Texas questions rights of fetus in prison guard lawsuit despite arguing opposite on abortion

"In defending themselves against a lawsuit, Texas officials have argued that an “unborn child” may not have rights under the US constitution, putting them in tension with arguments made by the state’s attorney’s general’s office as well as Republican lawmakers to support restrictions to abortion...."
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Office of the Attorney General Files Appeal to Texas Supreme Court, Blocking District Judge’s Ruling and Leaving Abortion Law in Place

"In response to a Texas judge ruling Friday that said the state’s abortion ban must allow exceptions without doctors fearing the threat of criminal charges, the Office of the Attorney General filed what is called a Notice of Accelerated Interlocutory Appeal directly to the Texas Supreme Court...."
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New law to make small change to Texas’ near-total abortion ban

"Today, Texas has one of the strictest abortion bans in the country. Under state law, abortions are legal if the patient's life is at risk, but some doctors say that's not clearly defined. State law says doctors who perform abortions could face life in prison and fines of up to $100,000. That’s why Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, worked with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to clarify the law. “The purpose of [House Bill] 3058, the new bill, was to ensure that there was an affirmative defense for physicians, that they would not have to be concerned about liability for using their…
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Tearful Texas doctor recalls being forced to travel out of state for abortion

"Emotional testimonies from women and doctors continued into the second day of court hearings on the confusion surrounding exceptions under Texas’s restrictive abortion ban. On Thursday, Austin Dennard, an OB-GYN doctor herself, delivered a tearful testimony as she recounted her experiences of being forced to travel out of state for an abortion due to a nonviable pregnancy. Eleven weeks into the pregnancy last year, Dennard, who is pregnant again, learned that her baby had anencephaly, a rare and fatal condition affecting the development of the brain and can also pose a serious health risk to the mother. Explaining the condition,…
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Texas judge to weigh in on exceptions to state abortion laws

"The issue of exceptions to Texas’ near-total abortion ban are in state court for a second day, after a long day of testimony Wednesday from some of the women who are suing the state, saying the laws put their lives, and their babies, at risk. During the often emotional testimony, the women shared stories of how they were unable to get a medical abortion during their pregnancies, despite having severe risks to their lives. At one point, the judge called a recess after one of the women got physically ill on the witness stand while recounting her experience of having to carry…
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Woman suing Texas over abortion ban vomits on the stand in emotional reaction during dramatic hearing

"A hearing in a lawsuit challenging Texas' abortion ban opened Wednesday with dramatic testimony from three women who experienced serious pregnancy complications but were denied abortions. One of the plaintiffs in the suit, Samantha Casiano, vomited on the stand while discussing her baby's fatal birth defect, which she said also put her life at risk...."
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Nearly two years after Texas’ six-week abortion ban, more infants are dying

"Texas’ abortion restrictions – some of the strictest in the country – may be fueling a sudden spike in infant mortality as women are forced to carry nonviable pregnancies to term. Some 2,200 infants died in Texas in 2022 – an increase of 227 deaths, or 11.5%, over the previous year, according to preliminary infant mortality data CNN obtained through a public records request. Infant deaths caused by severe genetic and birth defects rose by 21.6%. That spike reversed a nearly decade-long decline. Between 2014 and 2021, infant deaths had fallen by nearly 15%...."
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