Texas Republicans are trying pass legislation that would ban mail-order abortion medications from other states and allow Texans to sue doctors, distributors and manufacturers anywhere in the U.S. to collect cash awards, reports The New York Times:
Supporters hope and opponents fear the legislation, nearing final passage in Texas, will serve as a model for other states to limit medication abortion by promoting a rash of lawsuits against medical providers, pharmaceutical companies and companies such as FedEx or UPS that may ship the drugs.
If the legislation works as hoped, abortion opponents say, the availability of medication abortion could become more limited, even in states where abortion remains legal, because manufacturers and delivery companies could be expected to limit distribution in Texas to avoid legal liability…
Proponents of the Texas legislation also hoped it would undermine “shield laws” in Democrat-led states that protect abortion providers from liability. The conflict between different states’ handling of abortion-related lawsuits could ultimately lead to the Supreme Court…
The Texas measure is the legislature’s second attempt to try to curb mail-order abortion pills, after failing to pass similar legislation during its regular session in the spring. Gov. Greg Abbott (pictured above), a Republican and an abortion opponent, then called for the legislature to try again during a pair of special sessions this summer in which most of the attention focused on a Republican push for redistricting.
(Source: The New York Times, Image: KVUE)