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Public Health

Ken Paxton’s ‘Shoddy’ Prosecution of a Midwife Is Part of a Strategy to Expand His Power. Low-Income Houstonians Are Paying the Price.

Maria Margarita Rojas is the first healthcare provider charged for abortion care under Texas’ strict criminal ban. Her attorneys say the state has no evidence—yet her clinics remain shuttered.

by Mary Tuma

Keep Reading

Local Environmental Groups Are Still Reeling from Trump’s DOGE Cuts 

by Justin Doud

Nowhere to Go: Inside the Texas Boarding Home System Where Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Are Widespread

by Ottavia Spaggiari

The Ballad of Betty Rizzo

by Rachelle Meyer

Mar 25, 2025

‘This Town Has Nothing’: Rural Texas’ Mental Healthcare Crisis

Against long odds, Sweetwater’s public hospital recruited counselors to help address a wave of mental health crises in rural Texas—yet struggles continue.

by Daniel Carter

Mar 19, 2025

Texas’ First Abortion Arrests Stem from Monthlong Attorney General Investigation

These represent the first criminal charges under Texas’ near-total abortion ban.

by Eleanor Klibanoff

Mar 07, 2025

Amid Texas Measles Outbreak, Conservatives Double Down on Anti-Vax Crusade

Spread of the virus is due to low immunization rates in certain communities. Meanwhile, some legislators are cheering for more “medical freedom.”

by Joelle DiPaolo

Jan 29, 2025

‘Drill Baby Drill’: Arlington Approves New Site for Fracking Near Daycare and Schools

Arlington has opened new land for fracking for the first time in 12 years, allowing TotalEnergies to drill 10 new gas wells near a daycare center.

by Dylan Baddour

Nov 15, 2024

Taxpayers Fund Post-‘Roe’ Business Boom for Anti-Abortion Pregnancy Centers in Texas

Today, there’s big money to be made in the business of using unpaid, often church-sourced, volunteers to provide minimal services.

by Andrea Grimes

Sep 10, 2024

The Far Right Wants to End Out-of-State Abortion. Amarillo Is in the Way.

Texas' biggest popular vote on abortion post-"Roe" pits local advocates against an abortion travel ban that's part of a scheme to block the path to New Mexico.

by Mary Tuma

Aug 13, 2024

Turning Trauma Into Activism: She’s Fighting for Reproductive Rights in Texas and Beyond

Amanda Zurawski, whose lawsuit challenging state abortion bans was ultimately rejected by the state's high court, wants Republicans to rue Roe’s demise come November.

by Mary Tuma

Jul 29, 2024

This State Program Collects Money from the Deceased. Families Pay the Price.

For nearly two decades, the state’s Medicaid Estate Recovery Program has filed repayment claims against Medicaid recipients after they die, threatening the inheritances of vulnerable Texans.

by Julie Poole

Jul 22, 2024

Their Laws. Our Bodies.

Two years after the constitutional right to abortion was eliminated, what’s left of Texans’ reproductive rights is ambiguous.

by Shelby Tauber

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