Texas Court blocks San Antonio from offering funds for out-of-state abortions

A Texas court has temporarily barred the City of San Antonio from offering financial assistance to residents who need help traveling out of state for abortions.

San Antonio City Council on April 3 voted to flow an additional $100,000 into its existing Reproductive Justice Fund to fund abortion-related travel for those otherwise unable to afford it. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the next day, seeking a temporary halt the funding, which he called an effort to undermine state law.

In a win for Paxton — a Republican anti-abortion crusader — Texas’ 15th Court of Appeals on Thursday issued a temporary injunction halting San Antonio from putting the additional money into its fund.

“Temporarily preventing expenditure of these funds while the State’s appeal proceeds ensures public funds are not irrecoverably spent in violation of the Texas Constitution,” the three-judge panel said in its ruling.

In a statement, San Antonio’s city attorney office called the ruling “unprecedented” and said it’s exploring its options.

“The City is disappointed with the Fifteenth Court of Appeals’ decision yesterday and its broad prohibition,” the statement continued.

When San Antonio’s Reproductive Justice Fund initially passed last November, funds for abortion travel were excluded. Instead, the $500,000 package was dedicated to reproductive healthcare initiatives such as doula training, sex education, contraceptive access and STD testing.

However, in April, the progressive-dominated council voted 6-5 to approve allocating another $100,000 to the fund, this time approving the money be used for out-of-state abortion travel. The expansion came after at least three Texas women died as a result of doctors avoiding abortions to end problem pregnancies. Further, a ProPublica investigation also found that the Texas maternal mortality rate is up sharply since the procedure was outlawed by state lawmakers.

Since the council vote, the GOP-controlled Texas legislature has also approved Senate Bill 33, which bars municipalities from using tax dollars on any kind of abortion-related expenses.

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This article appears in Jun 12-25, 2025.