Texas Attorney General sues San Antonio to stop it from paying for out-of-state abortion travel

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued the city of San Antonio over City Council’s vote Thursday to spend up to $100,000 to assist residents who need to travel out of state for abortions.

“The City of San Antonio is blatantly defying Texas law by using taxpayer dollars to fund abortion tourism,” Paxton said in an emailed statement on the suit, filed Friday in Bexar County District Court. “Beyond being an egregious misuse of public funds, it’s an attack on the pro-life values of our state. I will not stand by while rogue cities use tax dollars to circumvent state law and take the innocent lives of unborn children.”

City Council voted 6-5 to create the $100,000 fund to support reproductive health care services, which aren’t limited to out-of-state travel for abortions.

Ahead of the vote, councilman Mark Whyte stated that he was “pretty sure what we’re doing today is illegal.” Despite this claim, Whyte was quickly fact-checked by City Attorney Andy Segovia.

While the Texas Legislature is currently considering a bill that would prohibit city governments from aiding someone in seeking abortion care, Segovia told members of council that there’s no current state or federal statute that would prevent the city from earmarking city funds for that purpose.

Paxton’s suit asks the court to issue a temporary restraining order while it ponders whether to permanently halt the city from enacting its plans. He sued the Austin last fall over its creation of a similar fund, and that legal dispute is ongoing.
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This article appears in Apr 2-15, 2025.