'Life of the Mother Act' gets initial approval from Texas House

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AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas House advanced a bill that would clarify when a doctor can perform a medically necessary abortion under the state’s abortion ban.

Senate Bill 31, or the "Life of the Mother Act," would allow for a doctor to perform an abortion when the patient is facing a "life-threatening" condition. The condition would be one that's capable of causing the patient's death, but the bill states that the patient doesn't need to be in immediate danger for an abortion to be approved.

Medically necessary abortions

The changes do not expand abortion access in Texas and the bill does not list specific medical conditions that would count as an exemption. It does not include exceptions for cases of incest or rape.

It defines a "life-threatening condition" as one capable of causing death.

The bill’s Senate author, Sen. Bryan Hughes said last month that the bill standardizes language across the state’s laws, so there’s no hesitation in an emergency.

The bill specifies that doctors cannot face criminal charges for performing an abortion in a medical emergency that causes major bodily harm.

The bill lays out provisions for training doctors to make the decision to perform an abortion and for attorneys who might represent doctors or facilities.

What they're saying:

On the House floor Wednesday, Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) argued that the bill could cause an increase in abortions.

"Will more or less babies die?," Cain said. "Is it going to save lives or not?"

The bill’s House sponsor, Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth) said it was up to the "reasonable medical judgment of the doctor."

"Probably, more babies will die in an effort to save women," Geren said. "I just know that we have women that are leaving the state now to get medical care that is necessary to save their life."

Geren later said the bill sought to clarify those situations where the baby had no chance of survival outside the mother, but could result in the death of the mother if an abortion isn’t performed.

"These women are not going there to get rid of a baby," Gerens said. "They’re going there to save their lives."

What's next:

The bill passed 129-6 and needs a final vote in the House before heading to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk.

Abortion Bill Loopholes

The House also considered a bill that would prevent cities from sending taxpayer money to organizations that help women travel to get an abortion.

An amendment passed Wednesday would protect women who use these organizations to get an abortion from being prosecuted by the attorney general.

The bill passed by an 89-57 vote and needs one more vote in the House before the Senate gets a chance to consider changes made to the bill.

Current Texas abortion ban

Texas law currently prohibits all abortions, including in cases of rape or incest, except in instances to save the life of the mother. Physicians can face up to 99 years in prison and be fined up to $100,000 if they perform an illegal abortion.