Texas lawmakers passed a bill designed to limit access to abortion pills in the state on Wednesday, with hopes of creating a nationwide template to limit medication abortions.
The bill, designated as HB7, allows private citizens to sue abortion pill manufacturers, doctors who prescribe them and anyone who transports or mails the pills into the state. Everyday people can sue for up to $100,000.
Texas’ Republican-controlled legislature squabbled for weeks over the details of the bill, requiring a second special session before finally passing it. Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign it into law, though it will likely face legal challenges before it takes effect in December.
Medication abortion was already the most common form of the procedure before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Since then, abortion pills have skyrocketed in popularity, to the point that the number of abortions nationally has increased despite outright bans in several states, including Texas.
Abortion opponents have been seeking ways to limit access to abortion pills, and Texas anti-abortion groups said they hope the new law can be a “blueprint for the rest of the country.”
The law is designed similarly to a 2021 bill that Texas passed before Roe v. Wade was overturned, which allowed private citizens to sue abortion providers. After that law went into effect, abortions in the state declined significantly.
With News Wire Services
