Texas Democratic lawmakers filed a series of bills this week proposing to repeal or narrow the state's abortion restrictions, just days after winning a new majority in the Texas House. Five abortion-related bills were filed on Monday, the first day of prefiling for the 90th Legislature, which convenes January 12, 2027. None of the proposals have been approved, and Republicans still control the Texas Senate, where the measures could stall.
Democrats Flip the House, But Face a GOP Senate
The push comes after Democrats made gains in the November 3 election, including Gina Hinojosa's victory in the governor's race and a new Democratic majority in the Texas House. But as the Texas Tribune notes, Democrats took majority control of the Texas House, but many of their proposals can expect heavy resistance in the Senate, where Republicans still hold the majority. That split chamber control means the Senate could block the repeal measures outright, even if they clear the House.
Filing a bill is only the first step in a long process. As Lone Star Standard points out, filing a bill does not guarantee a hearing or floor vote. The outlet reports that Texas legislators filed 1,236 bills and resolutions on the first day of prefiling alone, and 126 of those concerned health and Medicaid issues.
House Bill 126 Targets Three Bans and Minors' Care
House Bill 126, filed by state Rep. Donna Howard (D-District 48), would repeal Texas' abortion trigger ban, the Heartbeat Act, and numerous related restrictions, according to USA Today. Specifically, the bill would repeal Texas' three abortion bans — the 2022 trigger ban, the 2021 SB 8 Heartbeat law and the 1925 pre-Roe ban, the outlet reports. The measure would also remove the trigger ban in Chapter 170A, multiple restrictions in Chapter 171, and Chapter 245 governing abortion-facility licensing.
HB 126 goes further than abortion policy alone. The bill would also repeal the state's 2023 ban on gender-transition care for minors, according to the same USA Today report, striking the restrictions found in Subchapter X of Chapter 161 of the Health and Safety Code. The bill would additionally repeal Chapter 33 of the Family Code, removing the statutory framework for parental consent and judicial bypass for minors seeking abortions, and would change the statutory definition of abortion along with rules involving physicians, insurance, and public funding. As with every bill filed this week, HB 126 remains a proposal and has not changed current law.
HB 987 Keeps the Six-Week Limit, Adds New Rules for Pills
A second House measure takes a narrower approach. House Bill 987, filed by state Rep. Rhetta Bowers (D-District 113), would repeal part of the state's abortion ban — the 2022 trigger ban and the 1925 pre-Roe ban — but keep Texas' six-week limit, per the USA Today report. In other words, the bill would leave the Heartbeat Act in place even as it strips away the trigger and pre-Roe statutes.
HB 987 would also change how the state handles medication abortion. The bill would require doctors to examine patients before providing abortion pills and schedule a follow-up visit within 14 days, the outlet reports, alongside new documentation requirements for gestational age and pregnancy location and changes to abortion-complication reporting requirements.
Senate Bills Add Exceptions for Assault and Fatal Diagnoses
On the Senate side, state Sen. Carol Alvarado (D-Houston) filed Senate Bill 231, which would allow abortions for pregnancies that result from rape or incest, and individuals wouldn't have to file a police report or provide evidence to qualify, according to the USA Today report. The bill would also repeal the pre-Roe statutes and extend corresponding exceptions to the Heartbeat Act.
State Sen. Molly Cook (D-Houston) filed Senate Bill 243, which would allow abortions when two doctors agree a fetus has a fatal condition — with an ethics committee reviewing cases after 24 weeks of pregnancy, per the same USA Today account. The bill specifies that the exception would apply when a treating physician and another obstetrics-and-gynecology specialist determine a lethal fetal anomaly makes abortion necessary, and it would also establish supportive palliative-care standards for infants with lethal conditions and repeal the pre-Roe statutes.
A fifth bill, House Bill 948, was filed by state Representative-elect Samantha Lopez-Resendez (D-District 50) and would repeal the trigger ban, pre-Roe statutes and the private-lawsuit provisions of the Heartbeat Act. The bill's introduced text lists September 1, 2025, as its effective date.
A Narrower Precedent From the Last Session
The new package stands in contrast to a much narrower measure from 2025. The Texas Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 31, which would go next to the House and aimed to clarify when doctors could perform an abortion under the state's near-total ban, according to the Texas Tribune. That version specified that a patient's death does not need to be imminent before a doctor can perform an abortion when a life-threatening condition is caused or worsened by pregnancy.
The measure was a narrow clarification intended to ensure pregnant patients can get life-saving medical care. In the same session, the House passed Senate Bill 33, prohibiting cities and counties from using taxpayer dollars for abortion-related expenses, by a vote of 87-58.
The 2026 filings propose changes to the state's abortion framework. Whether any of the five bills advance past committee will depend on a Senate that Republicans still control, even as Democrats test their new leverage in the House.
