Following devastating Republican losses in the 2026 midterm elections, several Texas Democrat state lawmakers are trying to chip away at laws protecting unborn babies from being killed in abortions.
Several state Democrats filed bills on November 9 that aim to partially or entirely undo the state’s abortion restrictions, USA Today reported. The lawmakers are targeting unborn babies after winning the governor’s seat and the majority in the Texas House of Representatives. Republicans will still hold a majority in the Texas Senate in January.
In Texas, abortion is illegal except for the life or serious health risk of the mother. The Texas Legislature passed a bill in 2021 banning abortions after cardiac activity is detected, which is usually around six weeks of pregnancy. The bill, also called SB 8, allowed private citizens to sue abortionists and others who help women and girls obtain abortions after a heartbeat is detected. However, a “trigger ban” went into effect in 2022 banning abortions in the state at any stage of pregnancy with exceptions for life of the mother and serious health risks. Abortionists can face up to life in prison if they are found guilty of violating the law.
The state has other abortion-related laws, including requiring parental notification for abortion in the case of minors, requirements for abortion facilities, a ban on partial-birth abortions, and restrictions on the sending and prescription of abortion pills, among other restrictions.
State Rep. Donna Howard (D-Austin), filed House Bill 126 this week, which is an omnibus bill that would scrap the 2022 trigger ban, the 2021 heartbeat abortion restriction, and a 1925 pre-Roe abortion restriction. The bill would also undo parental notification requirements for minors, mandatory waiting periods, and the state’s ban on sex-mutilating transgender drugs and surgeries for minors, according to the report.
In addition to the omnibus bill, there are four other abortion-related bills introduced by Texas Democrats in the state House and Senate.
State Representative-elect Samantha Lopez-Resendez of Austin introduced House Bill 948, which would repeal all three of Texas’s abortion restrictions without going as far as Howard’s bill.
Rep. Rhetta Bowers of Garland introduced HB 987, which would repeal the state’s 2022 restriction and 1925 restriction while allowing the six-week limit to stand. Her bill would require doctors to examine patients before giving them abortion pills and would mandate the scheduling of a follow-up visit within 14 days.
In the state’s upper chamber, state Sen. Carol Alvarado of Houston filed Senate Bill 231, which would change the law to permit abortions in cases of rape or incest. Her bill would not require women and girls to file police reports or provide evidence to have an abortion.
State Sen. Molly Cook of Houston filed SB 243, which would allow babies with fatal conditions to be aborted throughout pregnancy. The bill would require two doctors to agree and an ethics committee to review cases past 24 weeks of pregnancy. The bill requires standards of “palliative care” for babies born with fatal conditions.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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