The Texas Senate tentatively approved a controversial bill that enables private citizens to sue anyone linked to providing abortion medication to women within the state. As reported by Click2Houston, House Bill 7 passed with a 17-9 vote. The specifics of the bill lay out the conditions under which manufacturers, distributors, and even those who mail abortion pills could find themselves staring down a minimum of $100,000 in damages from successful lawsuits. Notably, the bill does not allow women who consume abortion pills, or use them post-miscarriage, to be sued.
Big Pharma has been accused by the bill's Republican sponsor, Sen. Bryan Hughes, of exploiting legal loopholes to mail the medication. "Make no mistake, Big Pharma is taking advantage of loopholes in the law and mailing these bills directly to vulnerable women,” Hughes told Click2Houston. The legislation aims to prevent these companies from 'aiding the trafficking' of abortion medication into Texas from outside of the state, especially considering that as many as 19,000 orders for abortion pills were estimated to have been made by Texans after the initial abortion ban.
Opposition to HB 7 has been strong, with critics warning that the bill expands reproductive policing beyond Texas. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas expressed concerns that the legislation encourages neighbors to monitor each other's reproductive choices. Fox4News reported the ACLU's claim that HB 7 pushes Texas’ abortion restrictions beyond the state's borders.
The bill is scheduled for one final Senate vote before it may be sent to Governor Abbott for approval. It is designed to allow private individuals to initiate legal action against providers of abortion pills. "It provides a new avenue to undermine anti-state laws and empowers women who are tragically targets of the abortion industry to hold traffickers accountable,” Ashley Leenerts, legislative director for Texas Right to Life, told Click2Houston.
