Texas House advances crackdown on medicated abortion
The Republican-led Texas House advanced legislation this week that would ban abortion-inducing medication after seven weeks of pregnancy. The bill targets Mifeprex and misoprostol, a regimen of drugs used to end pregnancies early, as well as other generic versions of...
Anti-abortion website falls prey to internet trolls
The anti-choice right is trying to enlist the internet to help enforce Senate Bill 8, the latest GOP assault on reproductive rights. However, they’re learning the hard way that the internet has a habit of not doing what you want it to do. SB 8, which goes into effect...
More than 600 new Texas laws take effect tomorrow. These are the most important ones to know.
The Texas Legislature may be back for its second special session, but hundreds of new Texas laws — 666, to be exact — will go into effect tomorrow. Many of the new statutes focus on somewhat frivolous topics, like allowing beer and wine sales on Sundays. However, the...
The high school students demanding Frisco ISD implement COVID-19 protocols
As schools across Texas have reopened, the debate over COVID-19 safety and health measures has intensified to a fever pitch. Amidst this chaos two students in the Frisco ISD school system, upset with the lack of any directives at their high schools, took matters into...
Texas abortion clinics may close soon with Sept. 1 abortion ban
On Wednesday, Senate Bill 8, a bill that bans abortion six weeks after pregnancy and allows citizens to sue abortion providers is set to take effect after a Texas court cancelled a hearing on halting the legislation. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals...
Don’t take horse dewormer for COVID-19, Texas health officials warn
The Texas Department of State Health Services warned Lone Star Residents this week to stay away from Ivermectin, a medicine often used to treat parasites in horses. Thanks to a pro-Trump telemedicine company, the drug has recently found fame as a self-medicated...
Sociologist James Loewen’s shadow looms over Republican efforts to warp history
America lost an icon last Thursday when James Loewen, 79, succumbed to bladder cancer in a Bethesda, Maryland, hospital. An acclaimed educator, sociologist, and racial justice advocate, Loewen made his name as a leading voice in the fight to dispel white supremacist...
COVID-19 Endorses Greg Abbott for Re-Election
Howdy, Texas. COVID-19 here. You may know me from the longest and deadliest pandemic of your lifetime, or from the way my new delta variant has filled your hospitals. When this pandemic began, the other droplets and I knew we were up for a real test because,...
Op-Ed: Reflections of a Quorum Breaker
I’m a proud quorum breaker. By leaving Texas, my 56 Democratic colleagues and I shined a national spotlight on Greg Abbott’s voter suppression bill and pushed Congress closer to passing a new federal voting rights act to override it. We did it by staying focused,...
With few concessions to Democrats, Texas House advances voter suppression bill
Congregating at midnight much like vampires would, Texas House Republicans voted Monday to advance Senate Bill 1, a bill that threatens to reduce polling hours and make it more difficult to vote by mail. Republicans are pushing the legislation as a solution to...
Faith leaders affirm commitment to abortion rights on the eve of extreme new law
On Wednesday afternoon, several faith leaders gathered to announce the formation of The Reproductive Freedom Congregation Designation. This new coalition brings together several congregations of multiple faiths in Texas to affirm their support of reproductive rights...
Greg Abbott moves to ban all COVID-19 vaccine mandates
On Wednesday afternoon, Greg Abbott issued a new executive order prohibiting vaccine mandates, even for vaccines that have full FDA approval. Abbott is also calling on the legislature to take up the issue of vaccine mandates during the special session. The governor’s...
Texas House bail bond bill targets charitable organizations
On Monday, the Texas House of Representatives Constitutional Rights and Remedies committee voted to pass SB 6, a bail reform bill, that would change the bail bond system after someone is arrested. SB 6 states that non-profit organizations would not be able to...
Tragedy in North Texas highlights that pregnant people should get vaccinated
Before she passed away from COVID-19 after giving birth, Paige Ruiz had a dying wish that she had been vaccinated. Now, her family and friends are spreading the message that the CDC is also reiterating for pregnant people: get vaccinated. Ruiz, 32 years old, was a...
Chip Roy voted against faster visas Afghan allies
In July, Republican Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21) voted against a bill designed to expedite the immigration process for Afghans who allied with the United States. The bill passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support and Roy was one of only 16 members, all...