Bill > HB991

This bill introduces comprehensive restrictions on abortion and abortion-inducing drugs in Texas, establishing a complex legal framework that creates multiple mechanisms for enforcement and civil liability. The bill defines abortion as the termination of a pregnancy with the knowledge that it will likely cause the death of an unborn child, while specifically excluding certain medical procedures and contraceptives from this definition. It prohibits manufacturing, distributing, mailing, transporting, or providing abortion-inducing drugs, and creates a private civil right of action that allows individuals to sue those who facilitate abortion access, including internet service providers and platforms that might help people obtain abortion medications. The bill also introduces criminal offenses related to paying for or reimbursing abortion costs and destroying evidence of abortions, with potential felony charges. Additionally, it grants the Attorney General expanded powers to prosecute abortion-related violations, removes statutes of limitations for abortion law offenses, and includes extensive provisions protecting state officials from legal challenges to the law. The legislation explicitly defines human life as beginning at fertilization and seeks to create significant legal barriers to accessing abortion services, with provisions designed to withstand potential legal challenges through detailed severability clauses.

Government Affairs

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB991