Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a settlement Friday that ends the city of San Antonio’s $100,000 Reproductive Justice Fund that covered travel for out-of-state abortions.
“Texas respects the sanctity of unborn life, and I will always do everything in my power to prevent radicals from manipulating the system to murder innocent babies,” Paxton said in a statement. “It is illegal for cities to fund abortion tourism with taxpayer funds. San Antonio’s unlawful attempt to cover the travel and other expenses for out-of-state abortions has now officially been defeated.”
City officials did not immediately return requests for comment.
In April, San Antonio City Council members approved $100,000 to its Reproductive Justice Fund to help support abortion-related travels. Paxton’s office sued the next day, arguing that the city was “transparently attempting to undermine and subvert Texas law and public policy.”
The lawsuit alleged that the fund violates the gift clause of the Texas Constitution, and requested a temporary injunction blocking the funding allocation.
The state’s 15th Court of Appeals sided with Paxton, granting a temporary injunction to stop the city from disbursing $100,000 into the fund.
Then in August, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Senate Bill 33 that bars the use of public money to fund “logistical support” for abortion. In addition, the law allows Texas residents to file a civil suit if they believe a city violated the law.
The following month, the city of Austin shut down its abortion travel fund. The city had allocated $400,000 to its Reproductive Healthcare Logistics Fund in 2024 to assist women traveling to other states for an abortion with travel, food and lodging funding.
This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.
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