Medical exceptions for abortion addressed in Texas House Committee
AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Monday, the Texas House Public Health Committee took public testimony on a bill to clarify medical exceptions for abortion in the state of Texas.
The Life of the Mother Act, or HB 44, clarifies some of the language in the current bill that dissuades doctors from performing life-saving care on a woman because it would require her to have an abortion. In doing so, it's hoped that physicians will feel more confident in acting on their reasonable medical judgment to provide this care.
'The Life of the Mother Act has brought together all of the major pro-life groups: the doctors, the hospitals, Republicans, Democrats, and people that are on both sides of the abortion issue,' said bill author Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, at the hearing. 'And it's simple, we do not want women to die from medical emergencies during their pregnancies.'
Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Texas took steps to ban abortions throughout the state with few exceptions. In light of medical instances that created uncertainty about when it is appropriate to intervene to save the life of the mother or the fetus, proponents on both sides argue that the bill's exceptions remain too restrictive.
The potential consequences are high. Doctors face up to 99 years in prison, a minimum fine of $100,000 and the loss of their medical license if found guilty of performing an illegal abortion. In addition, they could face expensive civil lawsuits under the Texas Heartbeat Act, also known as Senate Bill 8, which allows any citizen to sue anyone they believe performed or helped facilitate an abortion for a minimum of $10,000.
'HB 44 does not change the state's stance on elective abortion, it simply clarifies the law and provides additional protection when physicians exercise reasonable medical judgment to protect the life or the health of a pregnant patient,' said Dr. Deborah Fuller from the Texas Medical Association in her testimony.
One of the ways the bill does this is by removing the phrase 'life-threatening,' clarifying that the exception to the state's abortion ban is when there is a threat to the life of the mother or a risk of the substantial impairment of a major bodily function. The phrase 'life-threatening' was a point of confusion for physicians who were unclear if 'life-threatening' referred to the immediate state of the patient or their state sometime in the future. The removal of this language would reduce hesitation in these scenarios.
Brooke Knudtson Stroud testified about her experience with the consequences of this hesitation. Knudtson Stroud lost her pregnancy in 2023 after finding a near rupture in her fallopian tube. Despite showing warning signs and reporting them to her physicians, she was told her symptoms were normal until it was too late.
'Something I've learned through it all is I'm my only advocate and that's why I'm here to support HB 44. Because this isn't about politics, it's about common sense, making sure women like me—daughters, wives, aspiring mothers—get the care we needed,' said Knudtson Stroud at the hearing.
In addition, the bill explains that physicians who exercise reasonable medical judgment when determining their course of action in these cases will not be subject to disciplinary action.
The Public Health committee adjourned as the House convened in the chamber. They plan to reconvene later this afternoon.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
23 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trace Gallagher: California Democrats 'Cannot Control Their State and Their City'
Trace Gallagher, FOX News Channel's chief breaking news correspondent and anchor of FOX News @ Night , joined The Guy Benson Show today to break down the ongoing riots in Los Angeles following ICE's execution of warrants in the city. Gallagher and Benson discussed the media's dangerous framing and the Democrats' refusal to condemn the violence raging on, arguing that their silence has only fueled the unrest. Trace also previewed the growing fears that the riots could escalate even further tonight, and you can listen to the full interview below! Listen to the full interview below: Listen to the full podcast below:
Fox News
27 minutes ago
- Fox News
Mark Green announces retirement from Congress before end of term
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., is departing Capitol Hill early, he announced on Monday. Green said he is leaving Congress for the private sector after the House votes again on President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" in the coming weeks, in a statement first obtained by Fox News Digital. "It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from Congress. Recently, I was offered an opportunity in the private sector that was too exciting to pass up. As a result, today I notified the Speaker and the House of Representatives that I will resign from Congress as soon as the House votes once again on the reconciliation package," Green said. He called serving Tennessee's 7th Congressional District "the honor of a lifetime." "They asked me to deliver on the conservative values and principles we all hold dear, and I did my level best to do so. Along the way, we passed historic tax cuts, worked with President Trump to secure the border, and defended innocent life. I am extremely proud of my work as Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, and want to thank my staff, both in my seventh district office, as well as the professional staff on that committee," Green said. Green acknowledged in his statement that he had previously geared up to retire in the previous Congress, but reversed course. "Though I planned to retire at the end of the previous Congress, I stayed to ensure that President Trump's border security measures and priorities make it through Congress," he said. "By overseeing the border security portion of the reconciliation package, I have done that. After that, I will retire, and there will be a special election to replace me." Green is an Army veteran who has served in Congress since 2019. As House Homeland Security Committee chairman, he oversaw Republicans' impeachment of former Biden administration Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. It's not clear where in the private sector Green will go next, but it's a safe bet to assume his seat will stay in Republican hands. The district voted for President Donald Trump by more than 20% over former Vice President Kamala Harris last year.
Politico
27 minutes ago
- Politico
Will GOP senators save Biden's energy tax credits?
Moderate House Republicans failed last month when the chamber voted to gut the clean energy tax credits that they had spent months urging their leaders to save. Now the fight is getting real in the Senate, where Republicans unhappy with the cuts have the leverage to reshape President Donald Trump's megabill — if they choose to, writes Kelsey Brugger. GOP Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Environment and Public Works Chair Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia — to name but a few — all told Kelsey they will seek significant changes to the budget reconciliation package ahead of their party's self-imposed July 4 deadline. Senate Republicans can afford to lose only three votes without tanking the bill. The party-line bill that the House passed May 22 would dramatically roll back Biden-era incentives for wind, solar, hydrogen and other clean energy sources. The cuts are expected to render useless hundreds of billions of dollars in tax credits from Democrats' 2022 climate law, even though they benefit many Republican-held districts. 'Every one of [the credits] is going to have some sort of extension' in the Senate version, Tillis told Kelsey. GOP House members who tepidly and unsuccessfully opposed the tax rollbacks lent their support to the new effort. 'We believe the Senate now has a critical opportunity to restore common sense,' a group of 13 representatives wrote in a letter to Senate leaders urging them to 'substantially and strategically' fix the House-passed language. Conservatives were quick to respond. 'You backslide one inch on those [Inflation Reduction Act] subsidies, and I'm voting against this bill,' said Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), one of the far-right House Freedom Caucus' most vocal members. That could be fatal for the bill when it returns to the House, where the vote last time was 215-214. The conservative Club for Growth has been taking out ads against some Senate Republicans, accusing Murkowski and Jerry Moran of Kansas of falling for a 'big liberal mistake' in seeking to preserve some of the Biden-era policies, and even accusing Kevin Cramer of North Dakota of 'betraying' Trump. How senators ultimately treat Biden's clean energy tax credits will be included in the Senate Finance Committee's section of the bill, which might not emerge until next week. It's Monday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Arianna Skibell. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@ Tune in! At 8 a.m. ET Tuesday, White House officials, congressional leaders and energy experts will explore the strategic choices shaping America's energy future under the Trump administration at POLITICO's Energy Summit. You can find more details about the event here and watch live here. Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Matt Daily breaks down how Republicans' mega reconciliation bill would almost certainly hurt Tesla's lesser-known yet growing solar and battery division. Power Centers Trump purges federal heat expertsTop heat experts are no longer at their government posts at the start of what promises to be a brutally hot summer, raising questions about the nation's ability to cope with extreme temperatures, writes Ariel Wittenberg. The entire staff at the climate office within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was laid off. And across other agencies, heat specialists have accepted deferred resignation offers. Some were fired because their work involved racial equity issues. Still others, after being ordered to cut communication with the public about the health risks of heat, decided they could help more people if they retired early. Trump sits out ocean protection talks French President Emmanuel Macron announced Monday that implementation of an international agreement to protect the world's oceans can begin now that enough countries have 'formally committed' to ratifying the High Seas Treaty, writes Leonie Cater. The news came at the third United Nations Conference on the Oceans in Nice, France. The United States did not participate, an absence that did not go unnoticed. A State Department spokesperson said the conference is 'at odds' with positions held by the current U.S. administration. In Other News Public health: This group is the most vulnerable to heat-related illnesses by far. River life: How climate change is reshaping life on the Mighty Mississippi. Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. The Trump administration is poised to release the first two rules in a high-stakes series of proposed Clean Air Act rollbacks that aim to dismantle Biden-era controls on power sector pollution. Solar analysts are lowering growth estimates significantly for the U.S. industry over the next five years as a 'perfect storm' threatens projects. A crew member died last week while aboard a vessel working on Empire Wind 1, an offshore wind project near New York. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.
