The news about abortion access in Texas has been dreadful, and somehow it always seems to get worse. Last Friday, however, offered at least some reprieve for several Texas abortion funds.
U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman ruled that a decades-old abortion law on the books in Texas, which would have criminalized assisting anyone who receives an abortion across state lines, was not revived after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year. In October, indicted Attorney General Ken Paxton very memorably (and literally) ran away from a process server attempting to serve him a subpoena in this lawsuit.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the trigger law were several abortion funds, support organizations, and Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi, an abortion provider. In a statement following the ruling, the abortion funds expressed their support over Texans being able to leave the state for an abortion. “Texans should be able to access abortion care in their own communities when they need it without delay, and we’re looking forward to supporting Texans who are forced to leave the state to access abortion.”
Dr. Moayedi, who previously spoke to the Signal after Senate Bill 8 went into effect, also provided a statement. “This ruling helps me continue providing healthcare for people in other states without fear of criminalization at home.”
While abortion funds are working through some logistics, they can now get back to the work of helping Texans access healthcare, including abortions, without fear of prosecution from Paxton or any other over-zealous legislators.
