Texas House overwhelmingly passes bill to clarify medical exception to state abortion ban
Senate Bill 31 standardizes the medical exception in the state's three separate abortion bans, including one from 1857, and requires doctors to receive training on what is permissible under the law. It also clarifies that doctors may treat a life-threatening condition before a patient faces imminent death or harm, codifying the Texas Supreme Court's 2024 ruling in a lawsuit brought by 20 Texas women and two OB-GYNs.
The proposal does not expand or change which Texans qualify for a legal abortion. Current law bans the procedure from fertilization, with no exceptions for rape, incest or fetal anomalies.
Addressing his colleagues, Republican state Rep. Charlie Geren said SB 31 will ensure doctors know when they can intervene in near-death situations.
"We know women have died after care was delayed or denied,' said Geren, who authored SB 31's House companion. "We know women have left Texas for lifesaving care. We know women have been horribly injured because doctors have refused to provide abortions that could save their bodies. Doctors and hospitals need the clarity that SB 31 can provide."
Since September 2021, when the Legislature passed Senate Bill 8, at least three women have died after doctors denied abortion care during medical crises and the rate of sepsis nearly doubled among pregnant Texans, according to ProPublica. Around three abortions per month have taken place under the life-of-the-mother exception, or 135 in total, according to data from the state Health and Human Services Commission.
Doctors also testified in regulatory hearings that they were afraid they would face lawsuits or criminal prosecution for intervening to save a woman's life.
The preliminary 129-6 House vote moves SB 31 one crucial step forward to reaching the governor's desk after it passed unanimously in the state Senate. Ten House members abstained. The bill will go to a final vote Thursday and would take effect immediately once signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
Several of the chamber's hardline Republicans questioned Geren about whether the bill would allow doctors to terminate pregnancies unnecessarily, with Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, asking whether more babies would die as a result of the bill.
Rep. Tom Oliverson, an anesthesiologist and conservative Republican from Cypress, responded to those concerns by saying that when a previable pregnancy threatens a mother's life, the baby will die regardless.
"The question is whether the mother survives the pregnancy," Oliverson said on the House floor. "We're not talking about circumstances where the baby could be delivered and could survive."
SB 31's initial language drew significant pushback from abortion rights activists, who said it could bolster the state's argument that an abortion ban originating in 1857 is enforceable.
In response, the bill's author, Republican state Sen. Bryan Hughes of Mineola, changed the proposal to clarify it neither rejects nor affirms the enforceability of the pre-Roe law. The bill now also states that pregnant Texans cannot be prosecuted for receiving an abortion.
SB 31 will tweak Hughes' Senate Bill 8, the 2021 law that authorizes private citizens to sue people who terminate a pregnancy after around six weeks. It also changes some language in House Bill 1280, a 2021 law that set out criminal penalties of up to 99 years in prison, loss of a medical license and significant fines for physicians found to have illegally terminated a pregnancy.
According to Geren, SB 31 will address a mismatch between the intent and the effect of those abortion bans.
"This bill clarifies the legislative intent that everyone thought we had when we passed the law several years ago," he said.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Bill to 'clarify' Texas abortion ban set to reach Gov. Greg Abbott
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USA Today
3 minutes ago
- USA Today
Columbia University to pay $200 million fine in new agreement with Trump administration
On Thursday's episode of The Excerpt podcast: Columbia University has struck another deal with the Trump administration. A federal judge has rejected the Justice Department's bid to unseal grand jury testimony tied to Florida-based investigations of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Plus, Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly told President Donald Trump in May that he was named multiple times in the government's files on Epstein. And the House Oversight Committee will subpoena Epstein files and documents from the Clintons and others. USA TODAY National Security & World Affairs Reporter Cybele Mayes-Osterman discusses why a handful of tech executives are joining the Army and what critics are worried about. A notorious Idaho killer was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison. Victims' families gave powerful testimony in court. USA TODAY Congress Reporter Savannah Kuchar breaks down a Republican redistricting plan out of Texas. We remember Amelia Earhart on her birthday. Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text. Podcasts: True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here Taylor Wilson: Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson, and today is Thursday, July 24th, 2025. This is USA TODAY's The Excerpt. Today, breaking down Columbia's latest deal with the Trump administration, plus what tech executives are doing in the Army, and how a potential map redraw in Texas could kick off a coast-to-coast redistricting battle. ♦ Columbia University has struck another deal with the Trump administration. 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And outside experts are also frequently brought into the military under this title, Highly Qualified Expert, which is unique to the Pentagon. But that being said, directly commissioning in tech executives and at this rank of lieutenant-colonel, which takes around 17 years to achieve from the bottom up, is not something that is so common Taylor Wilson: In terms of the Army perspective here, why does the Army say this is necessary? How is this part of the broader Army Transformation Initiative? Cybele Mayes-Osterman: The Army says that these executives are going to bring good insight and advice as they undertake this big shift that's called the Army Transformation Initiative. Now this was ordered by Pete Hegsath, the Secretary of Defense, and he wants the Army to get rid of some equipment that he calls obsolete, like heavy ground vehicles, and get more of this newfangled technology like AI and drones, which are the area of expertise of these executives. 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And critics are concerned that the executives could either get inside information that would make it easier for them to win future contracts, or they'd be in a position where they could influence the army to buy things in the future from their companies or feel like they need to. Taylor Wilson: All right. So what's next for this work and this conversation going forward? Cybele Mayes-Osterman: The executives I've been told are going to arrive in Fort Benning by the end of the month to start training. The Army says they're going to undergo the same training that anybody else would and they're going to be subject to the same physical fitness requirements. In fact, I heard from one Army official that they're going to be teaching them which hands that they need to salute with to be officers. Taylor Wilson: All right, interesting stuff. Folks can find the full version with a link in today's show notes. Cybele Mayes-Osterman covers National Security and World Affairs for USA TODAY. Thanks, Cybele. Cybele Mayes-Osterman: Thanks so much. ♦ Taylor Wilson: Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison yesterday for the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students, receiving the ruling after hours of emotional statements from family and friends of the victims. Loved ones of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin honored the students in court and spoke about the anger and devastation they felt after the killings. Those killed were all aged 20 or 21 years old. Olivia Goncalves: Do you feel anything at all or are you exactly what you always feared? Nothing. You didn't win, you just exposed yourself as the coward you are. Taylor Wilson: That was some of what Olivia Goncalves, sister of Kaylee Goncalves, had to say. You can read and hear more from victims' loved ones with the link in today's show notes. ♦ Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has requested at the White House's urging that the legislature consider redrawing lines for a handful of Texas's 38 congressional districts, giving Republicans the chance to flip seats red in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. I spoke with USA TODAY Congress Reporter Savannah Kuchar for more and to hear how Democrats are pushing back. Savannah, thanks for hopping on. Savannah Kuchar: Thanks for having me. I always love talking about my home state. Taylor Wilson: Yeah. Well, let's get into this redistricting proposal from Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Republicans. What does this actually entail? Savannah Kuchar: What we're looking at is right now, Texas state lawmakers are at the start of a special session, and in that special session they will evaluate quite a few things that the governor has specifically asked them to look at. 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I took Tylenol PM, which did not work. I did acupuncture, which were lovely, but did not work. I listened to a meditation tape that a friend gave me, did not work. Taylor Wilson: That's Jennifer Senior, staff writer at The Atlantic, sharing what she learned as she looked into her own experience with insomnia and what could be done to alleviate it. You can catch my conversation with her right here on this feed today, beginning at 4:00 PM Eastern Time. ♦ And thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your audio. If you're on a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. As always, you can email us at podcasts@ I'm Taylor Wilson. I'll be back tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from USA TODAY.
The Hill
3 minutes ago
- The Hill
Live updates: White House focuses on Fed as House subpoenas deepen Epstein saga
The White House is attempting to move on from the Jeffrey Epstein controversy on multiple fronts, even as House Republicans joined Democrats to call for more transparency in the situation. The House left town on Wednesday, but not before an Oversight subcommittee voted to issue subpoenas that direct the Justice Department to hand over Epstein case materials and call on several high-profile politicians, including former President Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to testify. Three Republicans voted with Democrats on the subpoenas. The House's dysfunction over the matter has the Senate seething. President Trump on Thursday will take a tour of the Federal Reserve, to see for himself the multibillion-dollar renovation of which has stoked calls for Chair Jerome Powell's resignation. The Education Department is touting a $221 million settlement made with Columbia University to restore federal funding that was stripped following a probe into antisemitism on the campus. But the White House's Wednesday release of documents related to Russia's effort to influence the 2016 election has prompted criticism that the administration is seeking a distraction.
The Hill
3 minutes ago
- The Hill
DOJ launches ‘strike force' to investigate Obama officials over 2016 election
The Justice Department late Wednesday said it had formed a 'Strike Force' to 'investigate potential next legal steps' after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released new documents about the 2016 election. The documents do little to suggest wrongdoing by the intelligence community in seeking to investigate Russia's efforts to influence the 2016 contest. But Trump administration officials have nonetheless said Obama officials should be held accountable, while President Trump accused his predecessor of being guilty of treason in connection with the incident. 'The Department of Justice is proud to work with my friend Director Gabbard and we are grateful for her partnership in delivering accountability for the American people. We will investigate these troubling disclosures fully and leave no stone unturned to deliver justice,' Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. Gabbard recently released two sets of previously classified documents she said show 'what was essentially a years-long coup' and a 'treasonous conspiracy' against Trump. However, an 11-page memo on Friday detailed internal discussions showing Russia was unable to affect any vote totals. That doesn't contradict the assessment at the time. Obama officials said shortly after the election that Russia was unable to hack voting systems. Much of the intelligence investigation was instead focused on Russia's massive social media campaign to influence voters and sway them towards Trump. On Monday, Gabbard released a previously classified report compiled by House Intelligence Republicans who disputed that Russian President Vladimir Putin favored Trump. While the bulk of intelligence assessments determined Putin played a role and wanted to aid Trump, the House report led by then-Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif., a Trump ally, found that the CIA 'did not adhere to the tenets' of analytical standards when reaching the conclusion. The formation of the task force comes as Trump has made clear his desire for his administration to investigate Obama. Obama's office issued a rare public statement calling the move a 'distraction' as Trump faces increasing calls to release information about the prosecution of deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein. 'Our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,' an Obama spokesperson said. 'But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.' James Clapper, director of national intelligence under Obama, in an appearance on CNN Wednesday noted that multiple assessments backed the conclusion the intelligence community made about the 2016 election. 'The Senate Intelligence Committee did an exhaustive examination of the totality of Russian engagement in this country, focusing specifically on the intelligence community assessment that we did and released in January of '17, and they endorsed the findings, the tradecraft used to derive those findings and the confidence levels,' he said. 'And no less than then-Senator Rubio, now-Secretary of State Rubio, who was then, I believe, acting chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, made that observation himself in — when that report — redacted version of that report was released.'
