Texas’s “Life of the Mother Act” Is an Abortion Ban in Sheep’s Clothing

FROM THE ARTICLE

“As an abortion provider living in Texas, I can confidently say that this bill will not help me save additional lives.”
PRH Board Chair Ghazaleh Moayedi

he Texas legislature is rushing to pass several dangerous anti-abortion bills this week, including the so-called “Life of the Mother Act” (HB 44 and SB 31). As a board-certified ob-gyn, a board-certified complex family planning specialist, a mother, a Texan, and an abortion doctor, I want to be very clear: I oppose this bill.

Currently, Texas has multiple criminal abortion bans with narrow exceptions for medical emergencies and life endangerment. These abortion bans have caused a chilling effect for physicians across the state, not only causing delays and denials of “legal” abortion care, but also obscuring timely decision making for miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and even molar pregnancies. This has led to soaring sepsis rates, increased maternal morbidity, and even several deaths.