Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, works the Senate floor for votes during a routine session at the State Capitol on March 9, 2021.State Sen. Bryan Hughes, the East Texas Republican author of the state's six-week abortion ban, said in the next legislative session he will not look to restrict emergency contraception or block patients from traveling out of state to get the procedure.
The state has already dramatically boosted money for “alternatives to abortion” programs by more than 450 percent over the past six years from $9 million a year to over $50 million a year. The programs are, though there is very little state oversight or evidence that they deter women from seeking the procedure.
The Texas Supreme Court is considering whether a pre-Roe 1925 Texas law still on the books is enforceable today. That law includes civil penalties and criminal charges for anyone who helps a patient obtain an abortion. The state supreme court has temporarily allowed the law to be enforced civilly but not criminally.bill protecting abortion patients who need to travel to receive care
“We will not be trying to restrict people from traveling. I’ve read stuff on the internet about that,” Hughes said. “You won’t see me supporting legislation that limits the ability to travel, nothing like that.”