Abbott Signs Bills on Emergency Abortion Care and Abortion Funding Ban

Governor Greg Abbott (R) ceremonially signed Senate Bill 31 and Senate Bill 33 into law at the Texas Capitol, aiming to strengthen the state’s abortion restrictions while clarifying protections for pregnant women in medical emergencies.

“In Texas, we support mothers and their children,” said Abbott. “The Life of the Mother Act protects both mothers and babies while giving medical professionals the legal security and clinical clarity they desire. I’m also proud to sign a law to ban taxpayer dollars from funding abortions.”

Senate Bill 31, authored by Sen. Bryan Hughes (R) and Rep. Charlie Geren (R), is known as the Life of the Mother Act. The bill seeks to address a key area of concern in Texas’s abortion law: when medical professionals can intervene in life-threatening pregnancy complications. It requires doctors to provide necessary treatment in emergencies and standardizes language around exceptions to the state's abortion ban.

Supporters say the measure offers clearer legal guidance to doctors who have faced confusion about whether life-saving procedures could expose them to criminal penalties under Texas law.

Senate Bill 33, filed by Sen. Donna Campbell (R) and Rep. Candy Noble (R), blocks Texas governmental entities from financially or logistically supporting abortion services. The legislation prohibits state and local governments from contracting with abortion providers or groups that assist with access to abortions.

The bills are part of ongoing efforts by Republican lawmakers to reinforce Texas’s position as a state with some of the strictest abortion laws in the country. Abbott was joined at the ceremony by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) and several GOP lawmakers who helped carry the bills through the legislature.