Texas invoice would let residents sue abortion tablet distributors : NPR

[ad_1] Texas lawmakers are on monitor to move one of many hardest legal guidelines geared toward decreasing the usage of abortion treatment, a technique folks nonetheless have abortions in a state that has banned them.

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Texas banned abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court docket overturned Roe v. Wade three years in the past. Now Texas lawmakers are engaged on laws to additional prohibit abortion treatment despatched in from different states. The invoice would permit members of the general public to file lawsuits in opposition to the medicines suppliers and to maintain a number of the cash. They might carry the fits even when they are not linked to the one who's getting the treatment. Olivia Aldridge from member station KUT in Austin joins us. Thanks a lot for being with us, Olivia.

OLIVIA ALDRIDGE, BYLINE: Thanks.

SIMON: The invoice handed the Texas Home and appears headed for passage within the State Senate subsequent week. What's it meant to do?

ALDRIDGE: Properly, treatment abortion is already banned in Texas, identical to surgical abortion, however that hasn't completely stopped folks from getting abortion capsules right here. I imply, folks get capsules prescribed from a physician exterior the state who mails it right here. And anti-abortion legislators wish to curb that apply by letting non-public residents sue for no less than 100 thousand {dollars} these prescribers, producers, even somebody who helps order these drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol, into Texas. And this has been a spotlight for some time. The state tried to get at this by suing a physician in New York who prescribed capsules to a lady in Texas. However, you understand, New York is among the many states that has what's referred to as a protect legislation that protects her from lawsuits like this. I talked to Amy O'Donnell, who represents the anti-abortion group referred to as Texas Alliance for Life.

AMY O'DONNELL: Home Invoice 7 provides one other degree of safety, one other layer of safety on, simply to assist be certain that we're doing the whole lot we will to cease chemical abortion medicine from harming ladies and youngsters in Texas.

ALDRIDGE: So the impact of this could possibly be that instances will find yourself in federal court docket to settle these authorized conflicts between abortion-rights states and states that ban abortion.

SIMON: And what do abortion-rights advocates say?

ALDRIDGE: Properly, they're involved as a result of this treatment abortion by way of telehealth has actually been the one means that many of us are nonetheless in a position to entry abortion. And the Guttmacher Institute - a analysis group that helps reproductive rights - present in 2024 that extra abortions are going down, really, than earlier than the bans within the U.S. That is due to telemedicine. Donna Howard, a Democratic Texas state consultant from Austin, spoke about this on the Texas Home flooring this week.

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DONNA HOWARD: Let me be clear. The one motive we now have not seen a return to the times of coat-hanger abortions is due to the treatment abortion tablet.

ALDRIDGE: There's additionally a priority that the money reward for individuals who carry fits might incentivize dangerous actors, and opponents name {that a} bounty. In some instances, a big a part of the reward may be directed to nonprofits, and that features anti-abortion nonprofits.

SIMON: How are different states dealing with this subject, Olivia?

ALDRIDGE: Properly, greater than a dozen states have banned or tightly restricted abortion since Roe was overturned, however capsules are sort of the main focus proper now as a result of it is a lot tougher to successfully management them. Louisiana has additionally tried to sue and even cost an abortion physician from out of state. There was additionally a failed effort to get the Supreme Court docket to roll again FDA approval of mifepristone final yr. However abortion laws out of Texas has been influential as a result of it was early to ban abortion, and different states have tried to undertake a few of its strategies, so they may probably comply with Texas on this, too.

SIMON: Olivia Aldridge with KUT in Austin, thanks a lot.

ALDRIDGE: Thanks.

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