Texas Republicans have enacted a new law that bans government entities from using taxpayer funds to cover the practice of abortion travel.
In Texas, abortion is almost completely banned under state law.
However, many have sought to bypass the law by traveling out of state for abortions.
Republicans in Texas cried foul after the Democratic city of Austin allocated $400,000 in taxpayer funds to cover abortion-related travel costs.
Republicans said Austin was defying state law.
Senate Bill 33 was introduced by Republican state Sen. Donna Campbell to ensure compliance.
Austin decried the ban as an attack on “reproductive freedom.”
“This law sends a clear message that Austinites don’t deserve the freedom to make personal medical decisions or the right to (enact) policies shaped by our values,” said Austin City Council member Vanessa Fuentes in a statement.
“It’s shameful, it’s wrong, and only deepens the reproductive health crisis Texans are already facing.”
The Life of the Mother Act “prohibits Texas governmental entities from financially or logistically supporting abortions, including entering into contracts with abortion providers or with entities that assist individuals in obtaining abortions,” according to Governor Greg Abbott, who signed the ban into law.
Abbott simultaneously signed Senate Bill 31, which clarifies the medical exception to the state’s abortion ban, allowing doctors to perform abortions when a pregnancy poses a risk of death or serious bodily impairment to the mother.
“In Texas, we support mothers and their children,” Abbott said in a statement.
“This session, the Texas Legislature worked together to pass the Life of the Mother Act to protect both mothers and babies while giving medical professionals the legal security and clinical clarity they desire.
“I am also proud to sign a law to ban taxpayer dollars from funding abortions.
“Texas is a pro-life and pro-family state.
“With these laws, we will stay that way,” he said.
Abortion tourism became a more prominent issue after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, triggering Democrats to seek workarounds to abortion bans in Republican states.
The Biden administration led the way, adopting a since-revoked policy that reimbursed women in the military for abortion-related travel.
Texas Republicans have been at the forefront of pro-life activism since Roe was repealed, and Senate Bill 33 solidifies the state’s status as a sanctuary for unborn children.
The law creates a private right of action, empowering private citizens to file lawsuits to enforce it.
The state’s Republicans are also looking to crack down on the flow of abortion-inducing drugs into Texas.
In the state, some women have turned to ordering pills online to have illegal abortions at home.
House Bill 7 would allow private citizens to sue out-of-state abortion providers for $100,000 or more per violation.
“A person could order abortion pills online right now and they’d be delivered to their doorstep the next day,” said Texas Right to Life Legislative Director Ashley Leenerts in March.
“The fact that 19,000 Texans did this last year breaks my heart, and it should break yours, too.”
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