Texas Senate passes bill that clarifies when abortions can be performed legally

The Texas Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved a bill that aims to resolve when doctors can perform an abortion in the state without fear of going to prison or losing their license.

Filed by Sen. Bryan Hughes, R- Mineola, an anti-abortion crusader, Senate Bill 31 seeks to clarify language in Texas’s existing ban on the medical procedure. The bill comes after multiple media reports highlighted stories of Lone Star State women dying or suffering serious illness after doctors worried about legal ramifications declined to terminate their problem pregnancies.

“Because of cases like that, we all thought it is important that the law be crystal clear,” Hughes said. “We don’t have any reason for hesitation, and we want to make sure the doctors are trained on what the law is.”

Under SB 31, doctors still would only be able to legally perform an abortion if a patient’s life is at risk due to pregnancy complications. However, language in the legislation clarifies that the patient’s death doesn’t have to be imminent.

The version of the proposal passed Tuesday also closes a loophole in the original bill that abortion rights advocates said could have enabled the state criminally prosecute women who receive out-of-state abortions. Senators changed the language after women from the advocacy group Free & Just lobbied for the revision and drew media attention to the loophole.

Although SB 31 is a minor victory for abortion-rights advocates, it shouldn’t be call for celebration, warned Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin. She and others maintain the state’s abortion ban is cruel and dangerous.

“I want to believe this bill will make things better, because it’s hard to believe that things could be much worse,” she said.

The bill will next head to the House.

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This article appears in Apr 30 – May 13, 2025.