Tag Archives: abortion
Despite Self-Congratulation, Lawmakers Did Virtually Nothing about Maternal Mortality Crisis
Governor Greg Abbott said he was “committed to doing everything we can to combat the maternal mortality rate,” but lawmakers ignored specific recommendations to reduce pregnancy-related deaths.
Jen Reel From the way the governor and top Republican lawmakers have been talking, you’d think the Legislature was taking bold steps toward solving the state...Read More
Special Session a ‘Battle Royal’ for Dominionists Who Seek Christian Rule
Thanks to Dan Patrick, those seeking conservative Christian dominion over government keep a seat at the table in this summer’s special session.
Nicknames for this summer’s special session have proliferated faster than hashtags and lapel pins. It’s been called “30 days of horror,” the “special ...Read More
Red is the New Orange: Handmaids Bring More than Just Silence to the Abortion Fight
The grassroots group of reproductive justice activists have seized a terrifying political moment and created a defiant act of pop-cultural resistance.
In white bonnets and bright-red robes, they sit silently in protest as lawmakers usher in yet another bill that will make it harder for Texans to access abortio...Read More
What a Ban on Insurance for Abortions Means for Women with High-Risk Pregnancies
UPDATE: Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 214 into law on Tuesday, August 15. The measure passed the Senate on August 13 by a vote of 20 to 10, and in the ...Read More
Lawsuit Filed Against New Texas Abortion Law
The Trump presidency and possible changes to the Supreme Court raise the stakes for the state’s next abortion fight.
One year after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Texas’ sweeping 2013 anti-abortion law that closed the majority of clinics in the state, reproductive-righ...Read More
Texas Bill Would Revoke Medical Licenses of Doctors Who Perform Abortions
A measure proposed in the special session would ban physicians from providing almost all abortions.
A bill filed in the Texas Legislature’s special session would revoke the licenses of doctors who perform abortions in the state, with limited exceptions. The ...Read More
Five New Laws that Will Likely Get Texas Sued (Or Already Have)
The Texas Legislature passed at least 5 arguably unconstitutional bills this year, and the special session hasn’t even started.
Infighting, red-meat politics and parliamentary revenge characterized this year’s Texas Legislature. Amid the fray, legislators failed to reauthorize basic st...Read More
This Week: Texans’ Health Under Attack by Republican Lawmakers
From air quality to vaccines, much of this week’s Observer coverage focuses on public health in Texas.
Keep up with the Observer’s sharp reporting on the Legislature and throughout Texas with this weekly newsletter. As GOP leaders in Washington, D.C. push a...Read More
How Texas’ Anti-Abortion Lawmakers Win Even While Losing in Court
Senate Bill 8 will likely face a lawsuit this summer. The problem for abortion-rights advocates is that legislation often moves faster than the courts.
“Why don’t we just stop passing unconstitutional laws?” asked an exasperated Representative Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie. He spoke in May as the House de...Read More