May 26, 2021 — Yesterday night, the Texas Senate passed House Bill 1280, commonly called a “trigger ban,” which would ban abortion if Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court. HB 1280 would ban abortion in Texas at any stage of gestation and provides only an extremely narrow exception for medical emergencies that threaten the pregnant person’s life. The bill now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.
Additionally, the Supreme Court’s recent decision to review Jackson Women’s Health Organization means that HB 1280 could go into effect by summer 2022, or earlier, depending on when and what the Supreme Court decides in the case.
Statement of Dyana Limon-Mercado, Executive Director, Planned Parenthood Texas Votes
“HB 1280 is different from and more extreme than most trigger bans — and goes against the majority of Texans’ support for safe, legal abortion. The bill would allow a total abortion ban to go into effect in Texas if the Supreme Court ‘partly’ overruled Roe or if the Court ‘partly’ gave the state the authority to prohibit abortion. For decades, Texas politicians have made reproductive health care virtually inaccessible, pushing it out of reach for people who need it. Rather than voting to expand Medicaid, provide substantive COVID-19 relief and address our failed energy grid, members of the Texas Legislature prioritized abortion bans, attacks on trans kids, permitless carry and voter suppression bills. The people of Texas deserve better.”
###
Planned Parenthood Texas Votes (PPTV) is the nonpartisan policy, advocacy and political arm for the Planned Parenthood affiliates in Texas.
Tags: